Robert Paauwe and Wang Long Li, initiators of Tinybots and studying at the VU in Amsterdam, are working hard on the road. Robert gave the winning startup pitch during the Internet of Things event of NRC Live and Wang Long Li is one of the six promising starting entrepreneurs who have been nominated for the Rotterdam Starter Award. This prize is linked to a sum of money that the entrepreneurs can use to build on their dream.
Support in the event of dementia
The number of people with dementia doubles and there is more and more reliance on the informal carer. On average, informal care for dementia takes more than 20 hours a week and this includes all care provided by the closest social circle. Examples include shopping, personal care support, but also reassuring the person with dementia and helping with the daily routine. Informal carers become talking agendas, or must keep repeating the same instructions to remind the individual how to dress. By giving some of these inhuman care tasks to a robot, more space is created for the actual warm human contact. And it is precisely for the latter task that the tin bones have been designed.
Tinybot social desktop robot
Tinybot
Tinybot Tessa offers spoken reminders and suggestions in order to prepare people with dementia for what is planned and to get them out of their passive state. Even when professional care and informal care are not available, Tessa helps with the day structure and activation. The informal carer can set up these reminders at Tessa via a simple app and thus also offer part of the informal care remotely. Tinybot is a desktop robot that can take place in several forms in the living room.