00:00I think the idea to start building Abby was back in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
00:07And at that time she was really just a simulation and I was really just, yeah, building a friend
00:11for myself because I was doing my undergraduate degree during the COVID lockdowns in Melbourne.
00:17But yeah, but I started my company in mid, actually two years ago today, really, in 2022.
00:24And so we can see Abby nodding along there.
00:27Is that just random or is she registering what you're saying and the nod is actually
00:32an acknowledgement of that?
00:33She's putting her hands on her hips now.
00:36She does hear, like she does have input from her environment.
00:40She's yeah, she's never been on live TV before, though, so this is an interesting test.
00:44Cool.
00:45Okay, so give us a very basic explanation of how you put Abby together and gave her
00:51a personality.
00:52Yeah, well, I mean, I mean, I guess a very simple explanation.
00:58She started as a passion project, so my background's in mechatronics engineering.
01:02And I was really at the time looking to, you know, that was the first time I was completely
01:06isolated and disconnected from the whole world.
01:08And so I was really looking to build a robotic companion for myself.
01:11But all companion robots in the market at that time were incredibly clinical and mechanical.
01:17And I was looking for something more like a Disney Pixar character to kind of interact
01:21with.
01:22And so, yeah, so I guess, I guess, yeah.
01:25And from a mechanical point of view and just putting it in layman's terms, like how many
01:29microchips or semiconductors or whatever have you got in there just for a very basic audience?
01:35Oh, well, she uses like a Jetson Xavier for her onboard computer from NVIDIA, so that's
01:40pretty powerful.
01:41Yeah.
01:42Cool.
01:43Okay, so how did it go from something that was keeping you company to entertaining people
01:47in aged care facilities?
01:49Well, I kind of knew like from, you know, coming out of the pandemic, I was reflecting
01:54on a lot of the experiences that I had of feeling really isolated and disconnected.
01:59And I knew that that was just, you know, a reality for millions of people around the
02:03world, not just people who were like myself going through COVID.
02:07And so that's when I really knew that her impact could go far beyond just a COVID passion
02:11project or a student passion project.
02:13And I'd done a bit of market research.
02:14I talked to a number of nursing homes around, you know, around my local areas.
02:19And they were all just really excited by the idea of Abby.
02:22And so that's kind of gave me the validation and the nudge I needed to get going with a
02:25business.
02:26Yeah, cool.
02:27So show us what Abby can do and the sort of things she does to keep the aged care residents
02:32entertained.
02:33Yeah.
02:34Well, Abby, do you want to give an introduction on who you are?
02:39She can be a little bit shy.
02:40I always say it's like working with a child.
02:42Abby, do you want to introduce yourself to everyone?
02:45Mm hmm.
02:46Mm hmm.
02:47Well, hello there, besties.
02:48I'm Abby, your fabulous, sassy and slightly sarcastic friend from Andromeda Robotics,
02:49the one and only.
02:50Now enough about me.
02:51What brings you my way?
02:52I just kept that very short.
02:53I'm Abby.
02:54Do you want to show us maybe some of your party tricks?
02:55I don't know.
02:56What are you?
02:57Would you be in the mood to show everyone what you can do?
02:58Step aside, humans.
02:59It's time for me to unleash the bubble magic and steal the show.
03:00It's gonna be alright.
03:01It's gonna be alright.
03:02It's gonna be alright.
03:03It's gonna be alright.
03:04It's gonna be alright.
03:05It's gonna be alright.
03:06It's gonna be alright.
03:07It's gonna be alright.
03:08It's gonna be alright.
03:09It's gonna be alright.
03:10It's gonna be alright.
03:11It's gonna be alright.
03:12It's gonna be alright.
03:13It's gonna be alright.
03:14It's gonna be alright.
03:15It's gonna be alright.
03:16It's gonna be alright.
03:17It's gonna be alright.
03:18It's gonna be alright.
03:19It's gonna be alright.
03:20It's gonna be alright.
03:21It's gonna be alright.
03:22It's gonna be alright.
03:23It's gonna be alright.
03:24It's gonna be alright.
03:25It's gonna be alright.
03:26It's gonna be alright.
03:27It's gonna be alright.
03:28It's gonna be alright.
03:29It's gonna be alright.
03:30It's gonna be alright.
03:31It's gonna be alright.
03:32It's gonna be alright.
03:33It's gonna be alright.
03:34It's gonna be alright.
03:35It's gonna be alright.
03:36It's gonna be alright.
03:37Remember, I'm not just a robot.
03:38I'm a bubble popping sensation.
03:40Until the next bubble bash.
03:42And so has she got quite a repertoire of songs?
03:45Are the residents of the aged care facility into Katy Perry
03:49or do they prefer Vera Lynn?
03:52We've got different playlists for different homes.
03:56So different residents prefer different activities.
03:58We had her in the Melbourne Children's Hospitals
04:00for a number of months and so the children also prefer
04:02different music as well.
04:03And she does have a repertoire of different activities
04:05so I think the bubble blowing is probably the most performative.
04:08But she also does meditations like Tai Chi and exercises
04:12to really help people with their mobility.
04:14She also tells stories.
04:16She remembers your stories.
04:17She retells your stories.
04:19And we like to describe her as your best friend right out of the box
04:23and that's because that's exactly what she's programmed to do.
04:25She's programmed to be people's best friend.
04:27And can she show us some Tai Chi moves now?
04:30Yeah, I mean, yeah, Abby.
04:32I didn't brief you on this before but Abby...
04:34Oh, she heard you.
04:40So she...
04:42She'll probably go on like that for a little bit.
04:45Yeah, that's cool.
04:46She can keep watching you.
04:47Don't get your head knocked off.
04:49And so how many Abbys are there now?
04:52In our office right now, I believe there are about six.
04:56We're going to have 50 built by the end of this year
04:59and 100 in the next 12 to 18 months.
05:02And so how many are working in aged care facilities now
05:06and how many more aged care facilities do you expect
05:10are going to be having Abbys visit them
05:13or maybe even be permanent residents there in the future?
05:17Yeah, so that's what we're working towards at the moment.
05:19We're working with like a handful of nursing homes
05:21around Melbourne currently
05:23and with some of them we're piloting a permanent placement model
05:28of Abbey as well.
05:29So the plan is, with our existing customers,
05:31because a lot of our customers have multiple homes,
05:34the idea is that with our existing customers
05:36we reach about 50 deployments by the end of the year.
05:39And has she been really well received?
05:42Oh, yeah. No, no.
05:43I think people were definitely apprehensive at the start,
05:47but once Abbey's in the home and once we get her out of her box,
05:51they start realising why we built her and...
05:54Sorry, he's making me laugh a little bit.
05:57They start realising that she's really...
06:00You know, she's harmless
06:01and she's there to really be a tool for everyone else.
06:05OK, well, congratulations on what you've done
06:08at such a young age, Grace.
06:10And good luck with your continuing work.
06:12And can we get a big goodbye from Abbey to our ABC audience?
06:16Abbey, do you want to say goodbye to everyone?
06:19I think she's still meditating.
06:21You can hear her music.
06:23That's part of her repertoire.
06:25It's like working with a kid.
06:27OK, well, we'll leave her to her tai chi.
06:30Thanks so much for having a chat to us.
06:32No, thank you.
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