A radical new approach uses the assistive and interactive qualities of care robots to manage the day-to-day activities of retired elderly, making their remaining years comfortable and convenient. This strategy was born out of necessity in a fast-paced world where there is a tragic lack of time, knowledge and skills, to take care of our aging family members. Additionally, there is a burgeoning number of people who are not able to do certain things for themselves.
Now, the University of Hertfordshire offers a possible solution to the problem as it carries out a series of tests involving robots that provide care and assistance to a group of elderly. The World Health Organization calls the emerging possibility "a situation without precedent", but also does not discourage the use of technology or devices to address the issue. So now here we are, on the brink of finally welcoming androids to fill the gaps of regular care delivery to the elderly.
It's important to note that there are two basic types of care robots. According to Robotics Tomorrow, there's the Social Interactive Robots (SIRs) and the Assistive Robots (ARs). SIRS aim to interact and communicate with humans, while ARs are robots used for physical assistance. However, the kind that is being tested right now is a cross between the two and is called Social Assistive Robots (SARs).
According to CNET, SARs can provide the kind of 24/7 attention and assistance that an expensive full-time caregiver would struggle to give. Additionally, they can grant more independence to senior citizens, allowing them stay in their house rather than get shipped off to a retirement home. Finally, they can be programmed with skin galvanic response, night vision and analyze high volumes of human data.
These care robots can elevate the definition of comfort and convenience by reinforcing supervision scenarios. They can efficiently do tasks that include checking if elderly people take their medications on time, monitoring patient's feelings and facilitate productive conversation between doctors and patients. Current public perceptions about these robots remain mixed, but it helps to show people what the specific benefits are.
