‘Technology to our service’ is a great motto that drives most of our R&D Experts, Roboticists, Investors and of course technology based companies that try and make lives better and tasks easier.
Given the rate at which Technology, especially, AI and Robotics is advancing, we are already witnessing days where training assistants in classrooms, cooks in the hotels, caretakers of the aged, nanny at home and even customer support assistance at hotels or corporate receptions are Robots. Needless to say, every aspect of our social life is well integrating into a collaborative coexistence with Robotics and emerging technologies.
As a keen enthusiast, how the Robots seem to blend with our culture and enhance our living experience has lately been a subject of great awe to me.
My goal today is to bring out the social impact of companionship Robots, that are gaining fast momentum in the given times and are soon becoming a part of our social system.
If statistics were any indication, it is recorded that people who are over the age of 65 make up for the fastest-growing age demography in the US, with countries like Japan, Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, and many more, closely following suit. The New York Times labeled the situation as an epidemic as more and more individuals in the US fall prey to loneliness and isolation. To make things more challenging, there are not enough care workers to keep pace. In the absence of professional caretakers, family members must step forward to help older family members with their daily needs, often having to compromise their own physical health or financial needs. What then is an efficient, cost-effective solution that actively supports the aging population with absolute passion, offering them the much-needed support and companionship?
Loneliness and isolation as such are universally vulnerable experiences.
The gravity of the situation can be further confirmed by the research data that has been put forward by many organisations. Some of these are being shared here. In mid-January 2018, UK became the first European nation to have appointed a ‘Minister of Loneliness’ with roughly 10 percent of all British population regularly feeling isolated, this though is soon expected to be followed by many more nations.
In Japan, as per the recent survey conducted by NLI Research Institute, living alone is almost the norm and the trend is catching up with more and more people dying alone. In fact, researchers found that social isolation is a better predictor of early death than obesity.
Social Robots and Companionship Robots are an area of focus these days and a plethora of professionals from interdisciplinary fields including psychology, sociology, robotics and healthcare are investing heavily on how best they could come up with effective solutions to issues around loneliness and vulnerability. True, Social Robots shall never be able to replace human empathy or interactions and sentience, however, a friendly robot is better than no one at all.
Many Social and Companionship Robots have been designed, with many being embraced by the users as an answer to their loneliness, forgetfulness and inability to do things independently owing to senility, poor health and old age.
Here is a quick glimpse into some of these messiah-like innovations, that have brought a smile to those in need. What’s more, these friendly machines are an investment worth every penny.
1. Stevie: a state-of-the-art Service Robot lights up lives as it interacts, cracks jokes, and spends hours listening to the aged population at a Care Home in the US. A blessing indeed considering these people in reality have little hope in terms of company and health. Some of the common features these days that enlighten days at the Care home include Bingo nights, Karaoke nights, and kitty sessions, and no one ever feels lonely anymore, since Stevie was placed there.
2. Paro: This is a cute baby harp seal shaped therapeutic robot with soft fur to offer comfort to patients and offer relief from anxiety with its interactive skills. Just like any other pet, Paro can offer a great solution to loneliness at care homes and bring a smile.
3. Pepper: This humanoid robot is able to recognize human emotions, crack jokes, respond to questions, make eye contact, dance, or amble about in any space. Their cute childlike look and ability to interact pleasantly have resulted in many offices and hospitals introducing Pepper as a receptionist, customer care assistant, or a social companion robot. SoftBank Mobile stores and Belgian hospitals are examples of spaces that have Pepper as an integral part of their day-to-day customer and support assistance.
4. Sam: A very cost-effective robotic concierge almost the size of a human being with a broad smile is for the elderly at all times. It is interactive and like Stevie and Pepper can offer the much-desired company to the aging and lonely population.
5. Jibo: An incredible household assistant capable of handling many of your chores with precision, Jibo is a great Robot to keep you company and take care of your household. This artificial intelligent Robot can create a very personalized experience for the user given its advanced face & voice recognition technology. It can take complete charge of your home automation devices by turning these on and switching these off as required. A smile or a joke from Jibo is just what one needs to make one’s day.
The joy these machines bring into our lives is incredible and the world has already begun to experience the magic of this collaborative co-existence. We have begun to feel the affinity towards these friendly machines and unlike us humans, these Robots would never judge us based on our health, ethnicity, capacity, attributes, or any other factor.
