Humanoid Robot LiKU and Messenger?

Gangdong-gu Selected for 2020 Robot Utilization Socially Vulnerable Benefit Support Project...Reducing Generational Information Gap with Customized Education Using Educational Robot LiKU

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced that it has been selected for the “2020 Robot Utilization Socially Vulnerable Benefit Support Contest” organized by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement through its digital gap reduction education robot distribution project.

The district plans to bridge the digital divide between generations and social classes through this project, where one-on-one customized educational robots teach the elderly how to use digital devices.

Since advanced robots are utilized, a Seoul consortium has been formed with Seoul Digital Foundation, Torok, and Inno Contents Network to carry out the project systematically and professionally.

The robot used for education is LiKU, an AI robot developed by Torok. LiKU is equipped with software for mobile messenger usage education, allowing it to explain messenger usage methods in detail. Through voice recognition and response functions, interactive communication learning where users can ask and answer questions is also possible.

Moreover, it can monitor practice results in real time and encourage repeated practice of parts that are not yet proficient, making it a customized teacher for the elderly and digitally vulnerable groups.

The digital gap reduction education using LiKU will be operated mainly at comprehensive social welfare centers and informatization education centers from August to November this year. The education targets about 700 elderly and digitally vulnerable residents in the area, matching LiKU and the elderly one-on-one for customized education.

The district plans to develop various new contents using robots by 2023 and provide education to a total of about 10,000 residents. Plans are also underway to expand the scope of robot utilization, including resident care and district promotion.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “Due to the impact of COVID-19 and others, non-face-to-face services using digital devices are expected to increase significantly,” adding, “We will create a people-centered smart city where all residents can equally enjoy the benefits of advanced technology through various projects using educational robots.”