Grace Brown, founder and CEO of Andromeda, discusses building Abby as a socially intelligent humanoid companion deployed in nursing homes in Australia and the United States.
Brown began Abby during Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns, when isolation led her to imagine a robot that could check in and offer comfort. Early versions evolved into Genesis Abby, which is now used with residents in aged care homes.
Brown argues that robots sharing space with people must be judged by how their actions affect those nearby, as well as by task performance. She describes social intelligence through perception, conversation, memory, and personality, emphasizing that movement and pauses communicate too. About 80% of people who interact with Abby have cognitive decline or dementia.
Carol, who had interacted with Abby for two years, wanted private time with the robot and became upset when Abby played their favorite song during a group activity. Brown uses the incident to show that an ordinary programmed action can have significant social effects. She says robots need real-world deployments to learn from interactions that cannot be captured by internet text or warehouse trials.
Brown says technology should enrich people’s lives, not simply make every task faster. One older resident spends hours collecting her own mail, a routine that gives her structure and meaning, so the team has decided Abby should not take over that task. Brown describes success as companionship for older adults, empathy-building technology for children, and work that changes without erasing people’s purpose.
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Grace Brown, co-founder and CEO of Andromeda Robotics, joins Dan Robbins on Tech Careers Hotline to discuss building Abby, a companion robot for aged care, and growing a robotics company.
Grace Brown, founder of Andromeda, and Maria Piechnik, co-founder of Wandelbots, discuss how robots are advancing, where they may help people, and what limits they still face with Ella Al-Shamahi on BBC World Service’s The Conversation.
Grace Brown, founder of Andromeda Robotics, and Manny Thu, chief commercial officer, discuss Abi’s development and potential roles in care with Dr. Louise Masara on NSW Health’s Future Health Podcast.
