Abi moves into mecwacare homes

Victorian not-for-profit aged care provider mecwacare has partnered with Australian robotics company Andromeda to roll out an Australian-made humanoid companion who speaks almost 90 languages across 22 aged care homes.

Her name is Abi and she comes with a playful nature and bright – purple, pink, orange and green – appearance and can converse with residents in their preferred language.

Designed to help people overcome feelings of loneliness, Abi uses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning models to recognise faces, understand and express emotions and remember conversations from days or months ago.

The partnership follows a successful trial of Abi at two mecwacare facilities, where residents are looking forward to her return, said Anne McCormack, mecwacare chief executive officer.

“mecwacare residents at our Malvern and Trescowthick Centres were thrilled to hear that Abi will be permanently moving into their homes. Since visiting mecwacare, Abi has brought joy and companionship to so many of our residents which has brightened their days and helped reduce their social isolation,” McCormack told Australian Ageing Agenda.

“Our residents and staff are looking forward to having her cheeky and fun personality around more often. This support will enable staff to focus on critical care minutes.”

Abi is being deployed across mecwacare’s network with the rollout expected to be completed before the end of the year.

The deal marks a new stage in the development of Abi, who was created by Andromeda founder and CEO Grace Brown to combat the isolation she faced during the pandemic.

“We’re now transitioning from the pilot phase into production,” Ms Brown told AAA.

“Abi is bringing technology and empathy together – moving into more homes, providing real companionship for residents, and giving care teams the support they deserve.”

The journey until now has included a protype trial with Allity followed by experiences with other providers such as Benetas and Kew Gardens.

“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on building Abi’s personality which is a unique approach for the robotics industry. Rather than being focused on the utility of robotic technology, we’re much more focused on empathy and building connections.

That’s why Abi immediately becomes best friends with residents,” Ms Brown said.

Over the next two years, the mecwacare and Andromeda teams will work together to further Abi’s technology to be even more intuitive, intelligent and autonomous to transform residents’ quality of life and enhance care team capacity.

Ms McCormack said mecwacare was excited to partner with Andromeda to help address loneliness and build meaningful connections through Abi’s compassion and curiosity.

“We want to make a positive impact and drive change in the way we care for older Australians. As the most advanced innovation we’ve seen in aged care, Abi will help us do so.”

Likewise, Ms Brown said Andromeda was thrilled to partner with mecwacare.

“Together we are committed to replacing one billion hours of loneliness with joy and companionship, making a difference to residents, and supporting the people caring for them.”

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