4 October 2022 

The world can be a harsh and prejudiced place, both for humans and for robots. At events, Devanthro’s Robody is almost always first met with scepticism, and it is only after spending time with the technology and perhaps trying out a handshake or even a hug that the audience warms up to the concept. The end result is an almost universal acceptance and love for Robody. 

Unfortunately, something similar also happens with humans. When we meet someone who does not look or talk the way we expect, we can react in a negative way. Prejudice and bias around “atypical” human beings can be incredibly hurtful and degrading.  

In 2020, we decided we wanted to tackle these issues together, and in a warm and supportive way tell children that it is ok to be different, and that differences should be celebrated. We teamed up with an amazing team (do you want to mention anyone particular?) and created Robody and Lucy, a hardcover and digital comic book for children and adults talking about the importance of friendship and curiosity and inspiring to use powerful technologies for a good purpose. 

The book, which includes vivid texts and high-quality illustrations, is aimed at children 5 years and upwards and is ideal for reading aloud or as a good-night story. It envisions a positive story about AI, shows the importance of collaboration, embraces globalisation and intergenerational communication. 

Devanthro is a Munich-based robotics and AI business, building Robodies – robotic avatars for the elderly care market. Their partners include Charité Berlin, University of Oxford, and LMU Klinikum. An early prototype is part of the permanent exhibition at Deutsches Museum in Munich. For more information, please visit https://devanthro.com/.