Scientists have created a memory-boosting robot called CARMEN to help Gen Z and millennials pay attention.
CARMEN, short for Cognitively Assistive Robot for Motivation and Neurorehabilitation, is a small table-top robot that experts hope will rewire our overactive minds.
According to the researchers who helped design it, it is the only robot that can help to teach cognitive strategies that help to improve our memory, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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People born between 1980 and 1995, otherwise known as millennials, have an attention span of 12 seconds, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) in the UK.
And those born between 1995 and 2010, otherwise known as Gen Z, have an attention span of just eight.
The robotic creation has been designed to help people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and can deliver various simple training exercises.
For example, the robot can teach participants to create routine places to leave important objects, such as keys.
It can also teach note taking strategies to remember important things.
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The research team at the University of California San Diego have collaborated with clinicians and people with MCI to create CARMEN.
It doesn’t have too many moving parts that require maintenance and is able to function with limited access to the internet.
It also has the ability to communicate clearly with users – expressing compassion and empathy for a person’s situation, and providing breaks after challenging tasks.
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Researchers sent CARMEN to the homes of several people with MCI for one week.
Participants reported trying strategies and behaviours that they previously had written off as impossible.
Researchers are also exploring how CARMEN could assist users with other conditions, such as ADHD.
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