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Robotics AI

Would You Leave Grandma With a Companion Robot? (opb.org) 82

Posted by BeauHD from the pilot-projects dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from OPB: Out near the far end of Washington's Long Beach Peninsula, 83-year-old Jan Worrell has a new, worldly sidekick in her living room. "This is ElliQ. I call her my roommate," the grandmother said as she introduced her companion robot almost as if it were human. Artificial intelligence is all the rage, and now it's helping some Pacific Northwest seniors live in their own homes for longer. Worrell joined a pilot project that is trialing how AI-driven companion robots could reduce loneliness and social isolation among seniors -- especially those living alone. This "roommate" is a chatty one with a vaguely humanoid head and shoulders. "I talk a lot and I love it. I need someone to interact with and she does," Worrell said.

ElliQ is a smart speaker, tablet computer, video phone and artificial intelligence portal all wrapped into one by the maker Intuition Robotics. The stationary table-top device is among the most versatile of a flurry of new tech devices geared to help you or your parents continue to live independently. ElliQ gives Worrell health tips and schedule reminders. It can recite the news and weather. They play memory games. The care bot tells a lot of corny jokes and it can lead an exercise class on command, too. [...] Worrell is among 20 rural seniors living along Washington's Pacific coast selected to receive one of these Israeli-designed robot companions. She gets it for free for a year as part of a pilot project overseen by the Olympic Area Agency on Aging. O3A, as it is known, serves Pacific, Grays Harbor, Jefferson and Clallam counties. [...]

On the Long Beach Peninsula, Jan Worrell's son Jeff Whiting watched his mom take to her new robot companion. He said he is impressed by it too, but at the same time is aware there is a creepy side to AI. "They are collecting data on everything that happens in this room," Whiting said in an interview at his mom's house where he is living temporarily. "They know her sleep patterns and they know what time she is up and what time she goes to bed. That would be my only concern." Whiting says the people who came to set up ElliQ gave assurances that users' personal data would be protected. In the case of Whiting's mom, the combo of the companion robot and a medical alert wristwatch changed how long she plans to stay in her own home. Worrell said she felt confident enough last month to cancel her deposit to move into an assisted living facility near her daughter in Eugene, Oregon. Universities and medical schools have generally found that age-tech "decreased loneliness, increased well-being and spurred mental activity and optimism," notes the report.

"[T]he 20 Washington seniors selected to receive a free ElliQ companion (a $249 value, plus a monthly subscription of $30-$40) were given a health assessment at the beginning of this pilot project in April. They will be reevaluated in one year."
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Would You Leave Grandma With a Companion Robot? More

Would You Leave Grandma With a Companion Robot?

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  • Biology still wins (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Baron_Yam ( 643147 ) on Friday June 30, 2023 @11:39PM (#63647828)

    Give me a robot that can feed, walk, and pick up after a dog, and I'd get 'grandma' a dog. They're great social companions... they're just too much to ask a person who is losing mobility and strength to care for.

    We should be building communities that are suitable for all ages, so people can remain active and social for as much of their lives as possible. Maybe that includes community seniors' activities so nobody becomes a shut-in through neglect.

    But a robot? "Yeah, grandma, we can't be arsed to pay any attention to you, so here's a glorified script to keep you busy until you finally die and stop being a burden". It's awful.

    • It's awful but you realize that blocking robots is allowing awfuller things to happen while you hide your head under the sand.

    • But a robot? "Yeah, grandma, we can't be arsed to pay any attention to you, so here's a glorified script to keep you busy until you finally die and stop being a burden".

      Well, I'd call that the noblerot senior care system, but that's just me.....

    • Re:Biology still wins (Score:5, Interesting)

      by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Saturday July 01, 2023 @03:30AM (#63648052)
      I agree that it's awful & unnecessary. Where I live, we have strict city planning laws which mean that ALL facilities must be provided in each neighbourhood. This means that nothing we need is more than a short walk away. Care homes for the elderly are near public squares, parks, cafés, & in the neighbourhoods where the residents have lived most of their lives. They can be around their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins, nephews & nieces, friends, etc.. It's common to see carers taking the very elderly residents out in a wheelchair just to 'be' out in their community & maybe meet up with friends or family at a café or in the park. Why would anyone want to put their parents in a remote detention facility? Do they not like them?
      • And there are many MANY stories where in such neighbourhoods people are left by themselves, lying dead in their homes for weeks and months without anyone noticing. What you present is like an utopia, which just isn't real in reality. Enough people do not have the social skills to make friends and don't have family.
        • That went pretty dark, pretty damn quick.

          True story: 3 years ago, my elderly downstairs neighbour, who lived alone, passed away. People in the neighbourhood noticed that he hadn't been out to his usual haunts & nobody had seen him around. The last time anyone'd seen him alive was the previous day. He didn't answer his door so they called the police, who opened the door & found him, the neighbours notified his family, etc..

          BTW, I'm describing where I live. Call it utopia if you like but it isn'

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by BranMan ( 29917 )

            Good to hear that the people in your area, at least, care enough to keep tabs on people and aren't afraid to call on the police to perform a wellness check. Many people aren't comfortable doing that - thinking they'll offend someone.

            • Yeah, the police here are more like public servants & hang around & chat with people in the neighbourhood regularly, all very relaxed & friendly. They're easy to talk to for whatever reason which is what I guess civilian policing is supposed to be.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by UpnAtom ( 551727 )

          You also need to swallow your pride these days to make friends more easily. You have to go to events where you're likely to be ~20 years older than everyone else. You have to start speaking to strangers. Maybe go on dating sites.

          A lot of people aren't prepared to do this, particularly men.

          I know a guy who retired early, was divorced a year later, all of their friends chose her and he rarely saw his 3 children. His life went from full to desperately lonely. It's quite concerning.

    • Well, it's a step up from "put Gramma in the old folks home where she's put in front of a telly 'til she finally croaks"

    • I think you're on to something with the "communities suitable for all ages". I'm in Florida, and it took the real estate websites ages to give us a filter to remove the age-restricted properties, because the age restricted ones are often 1/3rd the price of unrestricted, and clog up listings, because it can be hard to check.

      Anyways, having younger and older people together can help transfer information from the old to the young, while the young can help take care of the older.

      Shutting them up in their own c

    • Real AI isn't a glorified script. Humans are also nothing but biological robots. We're still just at the beginning of AI. In a decade or two, in regard to caring, I will probably have more faith in a robot/AI then in a human for caring for the sick and old. And I really believe a robot can be a good companion for lonely people. Maybe you don't get it because you have a lot of people, friends and family, but there are more then enough people who don't have that. If a robot can help those people in not feelin

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        *biological robots with a sensory organ hub evolved to store, evaluate, and prioritize stimuli

        We aren't even at the beginning of AI because our autocomplete macros don't do any of that. Even our shitty reward loops don't attempt a crude imitation of evolving them. We aren't on that road, and while our pattern-matchers might be nice tools they'll never reach the capabilities exclusive to that road. Like even rudimentary intelligence.

        >humans aren't special
        Current and future AI are significantly deeper in "

  • Yes, definitely. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by backslashdot ( 95548 ) on Friday June 30, 2023 @11:49PM (#63647836)

    It's better than her getting raped and abused/neglected at a nursing home facility you're paying $6000 to $10,000 a month for. And yes, that happens more often than people want to believe. Robots are better than non-related humans when it comes to taking care of the vulnerable. The alternative is quitting your job and being a 24/7 caregiver. It's better to have a robot do most of the chores and non-relatives/friends humans that interact with elderly or disabled should always be on camera and strictly and independently monitored (ie, you should periodically check-in and also have AI watching).

    • Some solutions are elegant. Like a internet tea kettle that alerts caregivers that the elderly are well enough to make their hot water for the day

      Depending on the complexity of the robot and expectations it might be ok.

      • Best one I've heard of was a man who hooked his mom's toilet up to the Internet so it would send him a notification if it went more than 24 hours without being flushed.

        Though really... in a lot of cases you could be checking in about 24 hours too late, for a lot of stuff (like, just lying in bed unable to get out), it gets the job done.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by fermion ( 181285 )
          Going to the toilet regularly is a sign of good health. What many donâ(TM)t realize is not going to the toilet regularly, and then going, can lead to death in older people.

          What is key is the body is discovered in 24 hours instead of days after the cat has eaten the body.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by narcc ( 412956 )

      Robots are better than non-related humans when it comes to taking care of the vulnerable.

      Do you have an example of a robot that is capable of providing even basic care to an elderly person with limited mobility or is this one of those things where you inexplicably believe that AI is going to magically enable whatever fantasy tech you've imagined in the next few years?

    • They are using creepy stuff like this in nursing homes now https://www.mddionline.com/new... [mddionline.com] Yeah, it's exactly what it looks like, a freaking ball gag. There is no way I would trust "other people" to care for the elderly because of the sick shit that works it's way into the system.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by hey! ( 33014 )

      A lot depends on having a family that is actively engaged in selecting a good nursing home and in directing the elder's care. I've been through this with multiple older relatives, and the kind of picture you are painting is not typical in my experience.

      Yes, there are some nursing homes that are terrible and should be closed, but mostly they're mediocre when they should be great. The first time we went through this we moved our aunt around until we found one we liked, but none of them were horrible. They j

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by UpnAtom ( 551727 )

        Pretty much all nursing homes are the closest we get to Hell.

        The problem comes about because the patients have lost the capacity to talk (and thereby demand a half-decent standard of living). Many are incontinent or just go to the toilet wherever. They're generally staffed by immigrants who have an accent. I'm pro-immigrant but if your Wernickes is degrading, you need someone with a native accent. So the places stink, there's no-one to talk to and there's nothing to do.
        If you're short-sighted or need a

    • In some states you can get paid for taking care of family members. [freedomcare.com]

      I haven't studied the details -- I'm sure exclusions and limitations apply -- but it's something.

    • > "paying $6000 to $10,000 a month for."

      What? That's crazy! "nobody" can pay that.

  • Too sad for my tastes (Score:4, Insightful)

    by vistic ( 556838 ) on Saturday July 01, 2023 @12:04AM (#63647852)

    This iust strikes me as really, really sad.

    I guess its a good thing seniors are less lonely and more capable, but can't we as a society and as a species do better? I honestly much prefer the idea of having my parents move in with me if they become unable to care for themselves, rather than move them into a facility or giving them Alexa or Siri or ChatGPT to talk with all day.

    If I am really old and someone offers me a companion robot, I'll honestly just ask for a gun and a bullet instead, because whats even the point of my life then?

    • Wishful thinking and hoping for an ideal is going to cause many people to suffer. The ideal would be nice, but open your eyes to the reality of how culture and many humans are today and will be tomorrow. Until you change things, (gene-editing, education?), we need practical and realistic solutions that help the most people.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by narcc ( 412956 )

        Magic robots are not a practical or realistic solution.

        What we actually need is social change, not creative ways to assuage your guilt when you throw people you ostensibly care about away.

        • Good luck with that.

        • They are not magic, and they are demonstrably practical and realistic. Your problem with them is emotional, and it's making you tell lies.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by narcc ( 412956 )

            Your problem with them is emotional ...

            You've got that exactly backwards. What you're imagining is science fiction, not the technology we have today. You're ignoring reality because you want so badly for that fantasy of yours to be true.

            In fairness, I suppose that, in some ways, my problem with the public understanding of AI is emotional, just not the way you think. I have a formal background in the subject, if you didn't know, and I've tried to use that to help others come to a more realistic understanding of the technology. I do this becau

    • The suicide option is stupid, just because someone can't be with your 24/7 to clean your shit and things like that doesn't mean you haven't a point in life. You can still be a valuable friend or family member, meet them once or twice a month or more/less often .. just cause people can't talk and interact with you 24/7 doesn't mean you're not providing value (if that's even an important thing btw). Heck if I was super old and the only thing I could do was annoy people on slashdot and get -1 Troll modded.. I

    • While I agree it can be sad, I reject the premise that one cannot be happy in solitude. Replacing social interaction with machines isn't a complete answer, but it can certainly help those who find themselves alone in the final stages of life. Both my parents are gone and while they could have lived with my siblings or myself, they refused to do so. Their final years were challenging. They didn't need an Alexa-like chatbot, they needed a full time caregiver and safe mobility. It's easy to see the technology

    • There's a lot that has to happen for this.

      First step, I recommend the complete destruction of the idea of the "nuclear family". Start encouraging, not 3 bedroom* 2 bath homes, but something like a duplex 5-6 bedroom setup, where maybe you have 2 kitchens, maybe not, but setup somehow that if you're a small family, you can rent out the other side, but if you need to take care of the grandparents, they can still have most of a house right there. That way, they'd also be there for any kids, etc...

      Hell, at th

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by UpnAtom ( 551727 )

      can't we as a society and as a species do better?

      Yes, but it would cost a lot. Care already costs about $60k a year. You start adding human entertainers and it'll go up to $100k a year.
      With non-dementia care, you hope the residents entertain each other.

      I'll honestly just ask for a gun and a bullet instead, because whats even the point of my life then?

      With dementia a la nursing care, it's almost certainly better to be dead. See my other comment in this thread.

  • Advanced sensors (far IR etc.) could play a big role here. It should also be able to monitoring skin temperature, blood oxygen, breathing, and anomalous behavior. The beauty of AI is that it could watch for things like the person falling or having a stroke or cardiac situation and upon a verification protocol call emergency services. I mean, depending on the sensors, AI should be able to detect a possible heart attack and notify the person to do a screening EKG before she even knows she's are having one. It

  • Robot & Frank. Decent movie.

  • Where is MY companion robot?!

  • Then Grandma can be protected at the bottom of the stairs.

  • My grand ma passed away long ago, you insensitive clod!

  • Grandma, are you ok in there?? ***bzzzzzzzzz*** "Oh yes hunny, this little robot you got me is GREAT!!!"...

  • Like an NS-5 [fandom.com]?
    Depends on how much I like Grandma. :-)

  • Does her house have stairs?

  • Grandma couldnt handle the concept of cds so im going to say no
  • "They know her sleep patterns and they know what time she is up and what time she goes to bed." Like with every ResMes Airsense CPAP machine and others with the builtin cellular modem that upload this data to their servers every gawddamn day?
  • There are at least two sides to this. On the one hand it could be seen as sad. Sad because why aren't there any humans who can take of her? On the other hand, it's a blessing. Grandma has a companion who she can interact with, who can help her with remembering stuff. Personally, I think the 'sad' part is sometimes unavoidable. Not every elderly has family or family who live closeby. Also, in many countries in the West at least, but also in Japan for example, there simply aren't enough people to take care of

  • Six feet under sounds a good place to keep these things.

  • Now that would be a much more ethical discussion.

  • A bit of a stretch to call it a robot and honestly it looks pretty damn creepy to me.

  • have enough free time to care for our elders personally the way we used to.

    You know, when productivity was 1/6th what it is today, and only one person working could pay the bills?

    Funny how we've been sliding backwards. Gee, I hope the introduction of robots doesn't paradoxically make the problem worse!

  • People like to discuss the ethics of wild science fiction, such as a robot that could do anything that could be construed as "taking care of grandma". Let me know when there is a robot that can do fuck-all anything in that department.

    If there was, it would be great.

  • She won't stop f**king the damn thing

  • With all the recent hype about ChatGPT and LLM's making the rounds, I have been searching for some intelligent discussion about how such tech can and will be used. Unfortunately when I look at the luminaries in the field of A.I. they all, frankly, seem, kind of dim. Take Gary Marcus for example, although he seems to actually use his brain, unlike Geoffrey Hinton who probably runs and hides every time a thought enters his head, he legit seems to think there is some massive demand for A.I. robots taking care

  • I want a robot that will roll joints, make coffee and scroll slashdot for me.

  • I am grandma. My opinion: Go f yourself and your robot.

  • Seniors want to live independently as long as they can. I don't think there is a magic robot that makes this possible. Instead, it is a set of technologies that replace small bits of what they have done for themselves over the years. Health monitoring tools, cleaning robots, self-driving cars, etc. Most people don't need a nursing home until the last couple years, and these little assists can keep them in their own homes and their communities for as long as possible. I'll be getting Old Glory Insurance
  • I'm fine with it unless it's the Space Robots here to protect us from the Terrible Secret of Space. https://youtu.be/7E0ot9iJm_k [youtu.be]

  • You know, you could just call her once in a while.

    I was a little disappointed to learn that it was stationary -- basically Alexa on steroids. I was expecting something more like Robot and Frank (2012).

    Other than the degree of interaction, this doesn't seem too much different from sitting her in front of the TV on the oldies channel. That Matlock. giggle

  • Helping release lonelyness is great but it has a long way to go. It can't help grandma up when she falls, shops for groceries or help her fix meals, assist her in the bathroom, or certainly not least give her the human touch of a warm hug when she hates having to have help with any of these.
  • We was just gonna leave her at the state interchange when she got too much...

  • Is the robot trustworthy and capable of caring for an elderly person and is it a cheaper / safer / better option than Nursing / Retirement homes ?

  • Where do i sign up? jK

  • I am the Pusher Robot
    I shove around the blind people
    We are here to protect you
    We are here to protect you from the terrible secret of space
    I am the Shover Robot
    I push bread down their throats
    We are here to protect you
    We are here to protect you from the terrible secret of space

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