At present, the global aging trend is becoming more and more prominent. The elderly groups who have always been the least concerned about the development of science and technology have suddenly become the "big cake" in the eyes of major enterprises with the development of the robot industry. As the robot products developed for the elderly mature, their lives will also usher in new changes.
According to foreign media reports, the elderly are the least concerned about new technology. But now, they find themselves a target consumer group in the emerging smart robot industry.
Technology companies, automakers and startups are all researching how smart robots can help older people at home. Older people living alone often feel lonely and isolated from the outside world.
Israeli robotic startup IntuitionRobotics recently announced that it will raise $14 million from investors such as Toyota Research to develop driverless cars and home smart robots. It will develop a social companion robot ElliQ. Toyota and IBM are also studying how to use technology to help the elderly.
ElliQ can sit on the table and help promote communication between family members and remind the elderly to do all kinds of things. ElliQ simplifies the process of sending text messages and photos.
This concept comes from the CEO of IntuitionRobotics, DorSkuler. He noticed that his daughters were more willing to take pictures to their grandmother instead of talking on the phone.
“We are used to keeping in touch with our family. Children will call their grandmother every once in a while,†said Scuol. “With ElliQ, their communication with their grandmother becomes easier and more frequent.â€
The design of this robot can also help reduce the pressure on caregivers. It reminds the elderly that the time to make an appointment with the doctor is coming soon. ElliQ is committed to making older people's lives more active and healthy. It gives personalized advice, such as going for a walk or listening to music.
However, companies that develop these robots have to work hard to win the favor of these older people. According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 40% of older people do not go online. Therefore, placing a robot at home is a big leap for many older people.
Skoule said that older children will buy and set up intelligent robots. His startups have done a lot of research to understand the robot specifications preferred by the elderly population.
Skoule initially thought about letting intelligent robots wander around the home with the elderly, but later he thought it was a very strange idea. He predicts that future home assistant robots will specialize in special tasks, but don't have to look like humans.
"Our refrigerator doesn't have to look like a person. Our dishwasher doesn't have to look like humans," Skoule said.
Other robotics companies have adopted different methods to win the hearts of the elderly. BlueFrogRobotics Robotics has created the companion robot Buddy. This kind of robot uses wheels to turn around at home. It will go on sale later this year.
BlueFrogRobotics concluded that the best way for older people to accept robots is to make their products look like pop cultures such as the stars in the movie StarWars and Wall-E.
The Buddy robot is equipped with a large display that usually displays a smiley face. It can access Skype Internet phone service and FaceTime video chat service to see if the elderly fall and remind the elderly to take medication.
In addition, there is the old pet robot manufacturing company Hasbro.
A few years ago, the company's research team found that its FurReal pet line designed for children aged 4-8 was well received. Consumers even purchased these pet toys for the elderly in their home.
“We started to study the reasons for these positive reviews,†said TedFischer, the company’s new business vice president. “That’s what people want to be interactive partners.â€
As a result, Fischer began to take the Hasbro toy to the unconventional market. In 2015, the company launched the robot cat, and in the following year launched the machine Golden Retriever. These toys are priced from $95 to $120.
These companion pets are designed to be realistic and capable of responding to human touch. The robot cat will make a grunt, and the robot dog will make a bark. These machine pets basically do not require maintenance. Moreover, if older people move to a pet-free community, they are not separated from their pets.
Hasbro chose to turn robotic pets into networked devices or devices with displays.
Part of the inspiration for this is from Fischer's personal experience. He lived with a 95-year-old relative for a while. He found that the old man did not want to listen to the voice message, although she only had to click on a button on the answering machine next to her to listen.
IBM also understands that not everyone is ready to place robots at home. The company has previously developed an intelligent robot that can measure the vital signs of the elderly through a camera.
At the same time, one of the projects the company is doing is creating an intelligent home environment for the elderly. Researchers tracked many factors that affect the health of older people, including the habits of older people walking and sleeping. They want to better understand the living environment of older people and thus reduce their chances of being hospitalized again.
Intelligent robots are one of the hottest areas in the technology industry. However, it is not easy to get the favor of the elderly.
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