MARIO was featured across Europe on the EuroNews TV channel’s Futuris science programme.
Professor Casey stressed that: “MARIO was an ambitious project from the beginning. We managed to combine an array of expertise through pan-European partnerships. We brought together expertise in robotics, semantic data analytics, artificial intelligence and interactive touchscreen technology, as well as healthcare and nursing knowledge. However, the most critical element were the older people with dementia and their caregivers, who welcomed MARIO into their lives and allowed us, through their insights and knowledge, to make MARIO into the success he has become.”
MARIO project has established that companion robots can have a positive impact on older people living with dementia. Such is the impact of this research, it has been featured in a new European Commission study analysing the impact on society of EU-funded research and innovation in technology for active and healthy ageing. The MARIO project is among 25 projects credited, and the only one in Ireland, with having had the most influence in Europe over the last 11 years.
Prof Dympna Casey will be speaking about “Loneliness and Isolation in Dementia”, specifically, how MARIO can impact this domain at the “Can Robots Improve the Quality of Life in People with Dementia?” symposium. This is part of the Technology, Mind, and Society interdisciplinary conference that will be held at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC, on April 5-7, 2018.
The European Robotics Forum is the most influential meeting of the robotics community in Europe, which will be held in Tampere, Finland, on 13-15 March 2018. NUIG will represent the MARIO project and will present on end users perspectives on the using health care robotics.
MARIO will appear on the Euronews Futuris programme, where he will be showcasing how robotics can make a difference to people with dementia to help manage isolation and loneliness. This broadcast is scheduled for April and will be in 12 languages to over 430 million households in 130 countries.
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| Des Doherty (person with dementia) using the MARIO robot at St. Brendan’s Community Nursing Unit in Loughrea, during the Euronews feature |
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| Prof. Dympna Casey (MARIO Project coordinator) interviewing Des Doherty (person with dementia) during the Euronews feature |
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| Mary Madden Nurse in Charge at St. Brendan’s Community Nursing Unit in Loughrea, being interviewed by Julián López Gómez from Euronews |
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