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The digital revolution is about to steal most people's jobs as artificial intelligence does our work ever more efficiently (1). What about caring for children and the elderly? If these tasks are soon to be taken on by robots, what will the interface look like? How will interacting with robots affect us?
Some people are horrified at the concept of a person becoming attached to a service robot but that is likely to happen. There is a visceral repulsion at the image of an elderly person interacting with a computer whilst being starved for human companionship. Yet, instead of asking what is wrong with this picture, perhaps we should embrace its possibilities.
Robots to Improve Health of the Elderly
The European Commission CORDIS (2) is developing a companion robot in its MOBISERV program that aims to improve the health and well-being of elderly people. Its design aims to maintain a user's health and mental capacity. If the user does not take a drink for several hours and is therefore at risk of dehydration, he or she receives a prompt on the computer monitor interface, or a verbal suggestion to get a drink. If the person has not been out of the house recently, the robot suggests going for a walk. Not being socially active generates a prompt to visit a friend.
Users may respond either by talking back to the robot or using the touch screen. On the interactive screen each suggestion can either be accepted or rejected. This not only protects the autonomy of the individual but also engages them in a rudimentary dialog with constant decision-making that keeps them alert and mentally agile promoting general health and longevity.
The MOBISERV robot is expected to be available to the public by 2016 at a cost of some 10,000 euro.
The companion robot can be modified to suit the individual user in terms of how it behaves, what it says, and even the tone of voice it uses. This companion robot is part of an integrated system of smart clothes and smart homes. The smart clothes contain sensors capable of detecting breathing irregularities and determining whether the person has fallen over. Smart homes also contain sensors that can tap in to patterns of eating and drinking.
There are clear social advantages even from interactive robots. A Japanese robotic harp seal aims to produce the psychological benefits of a pet without the inconvenience of a real pet (Ideas Lab Staff, 3). Known as Paro, the robot responds to petting and reacts to a few words. Petting and playing with Paro improved brain function in elderly people with cognitive problems.
Many people find it difficult to visit their elderly parents due to distance constraints and systems are being developed that allow them to check in remotely using audio and visual streaming. The European Union is funding the Giraff that consists of a tablet screen attached to a wheeled cart by means of a telescoping pole and is designed for virtual caregiving. Caregivers interact with the elderly person using videoconferencing and monitor health data, such as blood pressure and body temperature.
The potential for future human-robot collaboration is illustrated by a fictional movie “Robot and Frank” (2012) in which a retired thief (played by Frank Langella) comes to regard his companion robot as a collaborator in crime (1). Contemporary robots are not ready for the screen so the director (Jake Schreier) resorted to a trick by arranging for dancer Rachael Ma to wear a robot suit and generate robotic movements.
Communication is information and computers are very good at processing information. The conversational resourcefulness of information technology is illustrated by the success of IBM's Watson computer in defeating the human master. Ken Jennings, at Jeopardy, the trivia-based TV game show. IBM's expertise will soon be available via Cloud-based software so that inexpensive robots can conduct credible conversations (1).
Childcare Robots?
What about robots to care for small children? Here, the ethical problems are thick on the ground so that the chances of developing a robot explicitly designed to replace Mom, or Dad, seems unlikely.
Cynical humorists used to describe TV as the “great child-minder” and the same argument could be made about video games, and social media that divert increasing amounts of children's time and attention.
Numerous devices are used to monitor youngsters electronically, including breathing monitors for alerting caregivers when a child stops breathing as a way of preventing sudden infant death, and webcams for looking in on children at daycare centers. Cell phones are frequently used to keep track of children's movements and activities.
This is a far cry from actually designing robots to partially substitute for caretakers, as is being done for the elderly.
There are two key ethical reasons that robot care seems more acceptable for the elderly. First, they are adults and therefore immune to the developmental issues surrounding children. Second, many older people suffer from social isolation whereas children are not expected to. So relieving isolation via robots is more ethically acceptable for the elderly than for children.
Sources
1 Ford, M. (2015). Rise of the robots: Technology and the threat of a jobless future. New York: Basic.
2 CORDIS (2013). A personalized robot companion for older people. Accessed at: http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/91525_en.html
3 Ideas Lab Staff (2014). A robotic companion for the elderly? - GE reports ideas. Accessed at: http://www.ideaslaboratory.com/post/94619189589/a-robotic-companion-for…
