By Eugene Majuru.
London, United Kingdom. 9News Of The South) – A Zimbabwean UK based man who is also a member of the B.I.G Network, Pasi Sachiti has invented Hugh, the artificially intelligent robot librarian.
Pasi invented the robot together with Ariel Ladegaard.
University students at Aberystwyth University could soon be making use of the robot to locate books.
Hugh the robot has the ability to take verbal book requests and is able to tell where a book is kept and show the student to the relevant book shelf.
Combining existing robot technology with information from PRIMO, the University’s online library search facility, Hugh will be a walking, talking library catalogue with access to 800,000 books.
Pasi William Sachiti (left) and Ariel Ladegaard (right) with a prototype of Hugh, the robot librarian
Pasi and Ariel presented their prototype at a BCS Show & Tell event at Aberystwyth University on Friday February 26 . They invited fellow robotics and artificial intelligence students to contribute to the project’s development over the coming months.
“The next phase is to look at how it moves around without bumping into people and library furniture, how it finds out where the books are, how it interprets voice commands, how it displays the information, and what it looks like”, said Ariel. “And of course, in a quiet environment such as a library, should it have its own voice?”
Pasi who happens to be a veteran of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den series, key to Hugh’s success will be keeping things simple.
“As many who use mobile phone apps know, the simpler the app is, the more people are likely to use it. We are adopting the same philosophy with Hugh; his job will be to listen to your question, find the book and take you there”, he said.
Pasi sees Hugh as being the first in a line of “narrowly artificially intelligent robots” who will be able to undertake specific tasks in environments such as hospitals, care homes or supermarkets.
Customer Services and Academic Engagement Manager for Information Services at Aberystwyth Elizabeth Kensler said: “Libraries are always looking to apply technology to improve the services they provide and there are successful examples of technological solutions complementing staffed services in all libraries. However, a robot librarian that finds a book and takes you to the relevant shelf could well be a world first.”
“The response of staff to the work done by Pasi and Ariel has been fantastic and we look forward to working with them as they test the prototype over the coming months. It will be fascinating to see how students interact with it, particularly speaking to the robot in what is essentially a quiet area for study.”
Originally from Zimbabwe, Pasi describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur”. A first year Robotics and Artificial Intelligence student, Pasi has previously featured on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den where he promoted the concept of clever bins. His most recent venture was acquired by Google invested Secret Escapes. Pasi chose to study at Aberystwyth University as it is one of the few universities in the UK that offers a degree in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He was also attracted by the University’s policy on Intellectual Property (IP) which recognises the creativity of students and their ownership of the IP they create during the course of their studies and research, subject to provisions set out in the policy.
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