A robot designed to help care for elderly people has been invented at the University of Salford.

Carebot" P37 S65 can be programmed to remind them to take medication and exercise, answer questions and even tell them jokes.Researcher Antonio Espingardeiro, who developed the robot, said it could help care home staff and improve residents' quality of life.It can recognise faces and recall the requirements of each patient, he said.

The robot can also be programmed with speech therapy and object recognition exercises to help people with dementia.It is capable of acting as a video link to keep in touch with doctors and family, playing games and giving updates on the news.The robot, standing at about the height of a person, can also carry meals to residents.

Mr Espingardeiro is looking for investment to perfect the robot before selling it.He said: "Care of the elderly is a difficult issue but as populations age we're facing a difficult choice"I've already established that robots can provide meaningful interaction to supplement human contact, and from my work with care homes I've seen first-hand how both staff and residents benefit from their presence."