2022 Stretch Robot Pitch Competition

The 2022 Stretch Robot Pitch Competition, sponsored by TechSAge RERC in collaboration with Hello Robot and AI-CARING, was hosted at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This competition sought innovative hardware or software solutions to support individuals aging with disabilities at home using the Stretch™ robot. Developed by Hello Robot, Stretch is an open source mobile manipulator with reaching, grasping, and sensing capabilities to support people with a wide range of tasks. AI-CARING is a collaborative research institute, which includes Georgia Tech, that is focused on developing the next generation of personalized, collaborative Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to support older adults and their network of care partners. Students submitted a brief proposal and pitch video that detailed their concept for Stretch and how it addressed a need for individuals aging with disabilities. Undergraduate and graduate Tech students, representing a wide range of disciplines, submitted novel ideas for Stretch to support this population. An interdisciplinary panel of judges that included representatives from TechSAge, Hello Robot, and AI-CARING evaluated the submissions.

Honorable Mention

Identification and Manipulation Guidance for Older Adults with Vision Impairment

Nima Jadali (College of Computing)

Using Stretch’s camera and audio systems, users will be aided by audio cues to alleviate the process of correctly locating and identifying objects, such as grabbing the correct prescription bottle and then taking the right dosage of medication. Prize: $500