OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:10
83-year-old Jill Breckenridge has a new friend at her Minnesota nursing home.
JILL BRECKENRIDGE:
00:00:15
Hi, Pepper.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:16
It's not a person. - It's great to see you.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:18
It's Pepper, a special robot that can talk-- - I hope you are having a wonderful day.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:24
--and even dance with the residents to keep them active. [MUSIC PLAYING] But Pepper's special power is using new technology to bring up old memories. - Here is your brother holding your puppy.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:35
Jill was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. But when Pepper shows her pictures of her past--
JILL BRECKENRIDGE:
00:00:39
And I had red hair.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:41
--the memories come flooding back.
JILL BRECKENRIDGE:
00:00:43
I loved my horse, Lucky Strike.
SHARON FENN:
00:00:46
Warms my heart.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:47
Sharon Fenn is Jill's daughter. She was smiling.
SHARON FENN:
00:00:50
I know. I could tell from the back when I was watching her. She was beaming.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:00:56
Arshia Khan, with the University of Minnesota Duluth, is the brain behind the robots. When you saw Jill with Pepper, what did you learn?
ARSHIA KHAN:
00:01:05
I was almost in tears. It was like, that is what I wanted. We are taking them back in time. They have lost that time. It's gone, forgotten. But I'm able to bring that back to them at least for a little while.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:01:19
But you don't need a PhD to see the real benefits of a robot--
JILL BRECKENRIDGE:
00:01:24
Oh, thank you, Pepper. I like you too.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:01:26
--with a heart.
JILL BRECKENRIDGE:
00:01:27
Bye-bye.
OMAR VILLAFRANCA:
00:01:28
Omar Villafranca, CBS News, Roseville, Minnesota.
