TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and the tagline of the annual TED conference is “Ideas Worth Sharing.” The TED event has grown in popularity worldwide thanks to keynote speakers such as Bill Gates. TEDx events are local TED events where the X stands for “independently organized events.”

Recently, I attended the second annual TEDxUSC event and participated in an exciting day of speakers, artists, and an interactive reception.

Maja Matarić introduced to the audience the concept of socially assistive robots. By creating non-contact assistive robots, Matarić hopes to solve part of the healthcare problem. Her robots have had success in being companions for people with special needs, such as the elderly, stroke patients, and children with autism spectrum disorders. She found that stroke patients who needed to complete a daily exercise regimen were far more likely to do so with one of her robot “coaches” than someone who was asked to do it on their own. She envisions her robots of the future as personalized one-on-one coaches, monitors, motivators, and companions. Her initial results sound like a positive direction for both health motivation and a practical application of robotic technology within the healthcare arena. Learn more about her work in this article from the New Yorker, or visit the USC Robotics Interaction Lab.

Read more Notes from TEDxUSC.