Robot helpers who talk to patients, deliver medicines and give massages

Changi General Hospital patients Mariamah Ismail and Lee Lim Song having a therapy session with the Pepper robot. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

SINGAPORE - At a ward in Changi General Hospital (CGH), a 120cm-tall robot calls out to patients: "Hello everyone, I am Pepper. Let's do an exercise together."

The embodiment of the smiley-face emoji, Pepper can respond to audio cues in English and is programmed to engage when patients are unresponsive too. The robot demonstrates simple movements for exercise and also gets patients to sing or recognise songs.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.