Don't Worry, Robots Will Take Care of Our Elders...Or will they?

Due to Japan's insufficient birth rates to replace the increasing aging population, they raced to produce and execute robots to take care of the elderly. While the initial successes proved to be of plenty, the eventual downfalls came through with time.

These robots were differentiated in their abilities- some to lift and move patients, some to provide animal-like therapy, and others to perform recreational exercise sessions-- all meant to reduce the labor of healthcare workers, allowing them time to focus on other duties. The robots were an initial success and performed as they were intended. However, they were pushed to the side after only a short time. This was due to limited and repetitive abilities, discomfort in care, and unhealthy emotional attachment from patients. Researchers realized that more time was needed to set up the robots, move them around, and constantly monitor them. We are familiar with the notion that AI will replace jobs, but these robots actually generate more jobs due to their maintenance and care. However, these jobs are of less quality which put forward an important issue for healthcare workers to consider.