Investors: Press Release
GeckoSystems Improves Elder Care Robot Trials
CONYERS, GA, -- March 16, 2010 -- GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. (PINKSHEETS: GCKO) -- announced today that they have recently improved GeckoChat™, their verbal interaction software, and GeckoScheduler™, their "event timing" software for better understanding by the care receiver and easier usage for the care giver. GeckoSystems is a dynamic leader in the emerging mobile robotics industry revolutionizing their development and usage with "Mobile Robot Solutions for Safety, Security, and Service™".
"The new improvements made with GeckoChat have been very helpful. My mother is now able to understand the CareBot™ much better since there is more clarity with each word spoken to her. She is now responding more appropriately to everything said to her by the robot. In the past sometimes she could not understand what was being said or she misunderstood completely what was said.
"The GeckoScheduler has made it much easier for me to program timed reminders for the CareBot to say to my mother. This new computer interface has streamlined the way I am able to schedule reminders. It is now much easier to program the CareBot to tell my mother important things for her, throughout the day and week. With this upgraded computer interface I will now start putting some of her favorite Bible verses and family anecdotes in for the CareBot to recite to her," commented the baby boomer care giver.
"We upgraded GeckoChat by going to a higher power and lower distortion amplifier. We also eliminated the hardware sound equalization by incorporating software equalization of the audio files to be played for the care receiver. We completely rewrote GeckoScheduler to enhance its flexibility and ease of use. It is now a standalone GeckoSavant™, instead of being a portion of GeckoChat," explained Mark Peele, Vice President, R&D, GeckoSystems.
This new type of modern eldercare will postpone, if not eliminate, many elderly persons from having to endure the loneliness and loss of independence due to leaving their own homes and living in nursing homes and other assisted living facilities. Their families can now better manage the difficult decisions regarding independence they allow their now dependent aged parent while minimizing the concern and risk the adult care giving child is willing to assume to enable an acceptable level of independence and consequent risk (to the care giver) for their now dependent parent.
"We have recently learned that important, valued family behaviors and anecdotes can now be aggregated by members of the family and/or friends to further personalize the CareBot's interaction with the care receiver. Hence our coining of the more appropriate term, 'personal family robot,' as compared to simply 'personal robot.' These improvements to GeckoChat and GeckoScheduler reflect but a few of the many insights we are gaining from these world's first elder care robot trials," commented Martin Spencer, President/CEO, GeckoSystems.
Like an automobile, mobile robots are made from steel, aluminum, plastic, and electronics, but with ten to twenty times the amount of software running. The CareBot has an aluminum frame, plastic shroud, two independently driven wheels, multiple sensor systems, microprocessors and several onboard computers connected in a local area network (LAN). The microprocessors directly interact with the sensor systems and transmit data to the onboard computers. The onboard computers each run independent, highly specialized cooperative/subsumptive artificial intelligence software programs, GeckoSavants™, which interact to complete tasks in a timely, intelligent and common sense manner. GeckoNav™, GeckoChat™ and GeckoTrak™ are primary GeckoSavants. GeckoNav is responsible for all fully autonomous maneuvering, such as avoiding dynamic and/or static obstacles, running errands and patrolling. GeckoChat is responsible for interaction with the care-receiver such as answering questions, assisting with daily routines and reminders, and responding to other verbal commands. GeckoTrak, which is mostly transparent to the user, enables the CareBot to maintain proximity to the care receiver using sensor fusion. The CareBot is an internet appliance that is accessible for remote video/audio monitoring and telepresence.
"We are learning that valued family behaviors can be readily expressed to the care receiver using a CareBot due to the robustness of its functionality. Here, primarily GeckoChat and GeckoScheduler are utilized. This unexpected, but desirable benefit, further underscores the belief that we have significant pent up demand before us with improved ROI for our investors," summarized Spencer.
A "Mobile Robots in Motion" conference will be held at GeckoSystems' new 4,000 square feet R&D and manufacturing facility in the Honey Creek area, just south of Conyers, GA on March 24th and 25th. Attendees will witness not only our flagship product, but also our proprietary automatic self-navigation software, GeckoNav™, and the reality that they have a complete multitasking personal companion robot, the CareBot™, with voice interaction and 'command and control' capabilities arising from GeckoChat™, verbal reminders from GeckoChat and GeckoScheduler™ and the ability to routinely follow a designated family member with GeckoTrak™. This personal companion robot, the CareBot, has been in limited evaluation trials for over three months now.