Abi is a humanoid robot with a friendly face and a talent for languages.
An effort has been made to build curiosity and empathetic traits into her programing.
And so far residents at the Mecwacare Trescowthick aged care facility in Melbourne are pretty impressed.
"Today Abi is doing a very good job. We like Abi a lot. Abi can speak Chinese and speaks very well. We are very happy for this."
The humanoid robot's primary function is interacting with residents, and it has the ability to speak in almost 90 languages.
That's important as in later years, people can revert to relying on the mode of communication they are most comfortable with.
Abi uses artificial intelligence to recognise faces, learn from its interactions with residents and remember previous conversations.
Anne McCormack, the chief executive officer of aged care provider Mecwacare, says its these possibilities that attracted its interest.
"This is the most innovative technology that we've seen that focuses on social isolation and that is Australian made and that evolves and learns with every interaction. We see Abi as a very special augmentation to what we do."
24-year-old mechatronics engineer Grace Brown is the mind behind Abi.
The humanoid companion was first developed three years ago in the midst of the isolation challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You know, we focus a lot on her mannerisms, her personality, her personality, the way she asks questions. We're kind of at the very very start of a new technological era where we're going to see social humanoid robots proliferate to the point where they're not just in aged care homes but they are in hospitals, education, schools."
Data cited by the federal government, estimates that one in five older Australians experience loneliness.
The aged care royal commission identified workforce shortages as a major challenge facing the sector, emphasising the demands already placed on stretched thin staff.
For that reason, Dr Barbara Barbosa Neves of the University of Sydney says despite more examples of AI technology surfacing in the sector, it's increasing adoption is not seen as a direct substitute for human care.
"AI can play a positive role in aged care, but only if it's done right. In a way that is collaborative and inclusive and a way that is truly beneficial for older people and our communities. Loneliness has to do with a lack of meaningful social relationships, it's not about quantity of relationships it's about quality and so we really need to be designing technology that enables authentic connections it doesn't make it worse."
