Mass gatherings during election campaigning in the Covid 19 pandemic have been a cause for concern. India is presently getting ready to face this challenge with a humanoid robot – Doot to campaign for the elections slated in 2022. With excellent voice recognition, human gestures, face recognition, Doot communicates and behaves just like a human being.
A Mumbai-based innovator Santosh Haulawale has partnered with Onestand India Pvt. Ltd., has developed Doot, the robotic campaigner. They are now in talks with the political parties that will hit the 2022 polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, and Gujarat. Santhosh has earlier created health care robots that can assist Covid-19 patients.
Doot utilizes Artificial Intelligence enabled voice recognition to address the public on behalf of a politician. It is equipped with an all-wheel-drive gearbox for mobility, a custom-made servo motor to bend, and can twist 140 degrees. Also, the Doot robot can view and record the audience, answer commonly asked questions, shake hands, and wave to people.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has already taken the lead and rolled out a four-foot humanoid robot – Doozy during its election campaign in April 2021.
Doozy is designed to engage with humans and communicate in many languages including Tamil, Hindi, English, and Chinese. It also recognizes voices heard earlier and interacts by using their name. Its touch screen displays messages and supports speech. Doozy has moveable arms, legs, and hips. The robot’s curvy shape makes it human-safe.
Now Doozy, which also means extraordinary is not just an election campaigner. She comes with ten remarkable features for different purposes. Social interaction, 3D depth sensing, Lidar Technology, facial recognition, human-like gestures, 11’6 touch screen tablet, video conference, remote access, customizable API, and 4.3’ emotion display. Where can these features be utilized?
Doozy has revolutionized the healthcare department complying with the safety rules of social distancing and social interaction. Friendly Doozy can admit new patients and also entertain people in the waiting area. Stress from work overload is reduced with its telepresence and teleoperation for the medical staff. Works well as a techno-psychological distraction from pain, anxiety, and stress for children during medical procedures.
In the field of education, Doozy creates an environment of engagement, a high level of motivation, and interest in students. Teachers achieve increased student engagement with the project and lab-based approaches and learning effectiveness.
We may have to wait and watch if Doot will be a mere attraction or an effective robotic campaigner.
