Robots to help the elderly?

Henrik Scharfe, a professor at Aalborg University at Denmark, is the one behind the Geminoid-DK, which is an eerily lifelike robot that was specially developed in his image, bringing us to new depths of the Uncanny Valley. Designed in order to examine the boundaries between robots and humans, this robot might eventually be the blueprint for the area of “welfare technology” in Denmark, where it would see the implementation of robot use as well as other modern devices in order to assist caring for the elderly and the disabled.

The Danes have their fingers crossed that such “welfare technology” will eventually mushroom and grow into an industry that has global clout, in addition to solving a vexing demographic problem that has plagued many an European country, which would be the spiralling cost of offering generous tax-funded hospital and elder care to an aging population.

According to Nina Husfeldt Clasen of Denmark’s Office for Welfare Technology, “There is a great increase in the elderly and the number of people with chronic diseases. If we don’t do something drastic we won’t be able to provide the care to the elderly and sick people that they expect.”

Hopefully robots like these will be able to fill up the shoes of humans, and for those who are about to leave this world and breathe their last, how about the Last Moment Robot to keep them company?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Medical, Robots
Tags: Robot