![]() ![]() "I wish I could just snap my fingers to make a person show up at the home of one of the many, many older adults that don't have any family or friends, but it's a little bit more complicated," said Greg Olsen, director of the New York State Office for the Aging. Some are housebound, and even seniors with strong ties are often alone. Skuler and agency heads distributing ElliQ agreed it isn't a substitute for human contact, but not all seniors have social networks. "It is not clear whether AI is actually fulfilling any kind of need or just dampening the signal." Satiating that with AI "makes you feel like you've fulfilled it, but in reality you haven't," Holt-Lunstad said. Like hunger makes people seek food and thirst makes them seek water, she said "that unpleasant feeling of loneliness should motivate us to reconnect socially." That worries Brigham Young University psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who studies the detrimental effects loneliness has on health and mortality.Īlthough a device like ElliQ might have short-term benefits, it could make people less likely to seek human contact. Skuler wouldn't say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years. The robots are mostly distributed by assistance agencies in New York, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Washington state, but can also be purchased individually for $600 a year and a $250 installation fee. The average user interacts with ElliQ more than 30 times daily, even six months after receiving it, and more than 90% report lower levels of loneliness, he said. ![]() It's about friendship, companionship and empathy," Skuler said. Skuler realised a robot could fill that companionship gap by adapting to each senior's personality and interests. The replacement, though, understood his grandfather's love of classical music and his "quirky sense of humour." His widowed grandfather needed an aide, but the first didn't work out. Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the idea for ElliQ came before he launched his Israeli company eight years ago. Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner's device. It can also host video calls and contact relatives, friends or doctors in an emergency. The device leads exercises, asks about the owner's health and gives reminders to take medications and drink water. On an accompanying video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. It remembers each user's interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats, which can be as deep as the meaning of life or as light as the horoscope.ĮlliQ tells jokes, plays music and provides inspirational quotes. The device, which looks like a small table lamp, has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. "She'll make comments like, 'I would go outside if I had hands, but I can't hold an umbrella.'" You can actually talk to her," said Loaiza, 81, whose ElliQ in suburban Fort Lauderdale nicknamed her "Jellybean" for no particular reason. The women are some of the first in the country to receive the robot ElliQ, whose creators, Intuition Robotics, and senior assistance officials say is the only device using artificial intelligence specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by many older Americans. In central New York, it plays games and music for 92-year-old Marie Broadbent, who is blind and in hospice, and in Washington state, it helps 83-year-old Jan Worrell make new friends.
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