A robot that will bring a mix of artificial intelligence and playfulness to young patients at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia met his new friends at a ceremony inside the West Philly medical facility Thursday.
NAO, pronounced now, can sing and dance, as well as be an educational tool for patients and parents alike at the renowned hospital.
"It’s made for children’s therapy, and the things it does, which will blow your mind, it can do dance. it can sing," said Bruce Foulke, CEO and president of American Heritage Credit Union. "It can do yoga. It can fall down and get back up by itself. It does facial recognition."
Foulke smiled as he detailed NAO's capabilities, particularly when the robot will interact with ailing children.
"It’s a learning robot. It’s artificial intelligence," he said. "But it’s really to help the kids look forward to something."
NAO is owned by Softbank Robotics.
"Famous around the world, NAO is a tremendous programming tool and he has especially become a standard in education and research," the company says on its website. "NAO is also used as an assistant by companies and healthcare centers to welcome, inform and entertain visitors."
