The rise of robotics and artificial intelligence heralds a future where humans and machines seamlessly coexist, challenging societal norms and ethical boundaries.
1. Intro
2. Problems of the Elderly Living Alone
3. The advent of AI robots
4. My thought
1. Intro
The world is aging rapidly, with declining birth rates and a growing elderly population, a demographic shift that threatens societal sustainability. With advancements in medicine, life expectancy is soaring, reshaping the population pyramid into an inverted structure, where the elderly outnumber the young. Half of the population is projected to be over 60, leading to concerns of a demographic crisis in the future.
The rise in the elderly population poses various challenges, particularly for solitary elderly individuals living alone. Here, we explore the role of the robotics industry in addressing this issue and how it can contribute to the well-being of solitary elderly individuals.
2. Problems of the Elderly Living Alone
Nowadays, we are witnessing the era of solitary living. With the rise of the non-married generation, particularly evident among those born in the 2030s, the elderly find themselves living alone for various reasons. The increasing rate of late-life divorces and the natural progression of age often leave many elderly individuals as widows or widowers, facing the challenges of aging without a partner. As their vitality diminishes with age, they struggle to care for themselves independently, with few receiving support from their children, who typically resort to sending them to nursing homes if they cannot provide adequate care themselves.
Furthermore, the growing trend of one-person households, which is expected to include many individuals facing mobility issues in the future, exacerbates the issue. While some may marry later in life, a significant portion will likely age alone, contributing to a looming crisis surrounding elderly care. The imagery depicted in public service announcements, such as the reversal of seating availability between regular and elderly seating on subway trains, serves as a poignant reminder of the impending demographic shift. This future, where our society is inundated with elderly individuals, raises concerns about the infrastructure and resources needed to accommodate their care needs adequately.
Many individuals today may feel comfortable living alone without immediate family support. However, the thought of facing old age and illness without anyone by their side to provide comfort and care worries some. The prospect of experiencing the final moments of life without the presence of children to offer solace feels profoundly lonely. While parents may not expect their children to care for them, relying solely on aging siblings for support during their twilight years may not be sufficient.
3. The advent of AI robots
The increasing elderly population poses various social issues such as the need for caregiving, children's support problems, and resulting conflicts. However, these concerns may not be as daunting as they seem. As today's youth age and become the elderly in need of assistance, the necessity for human caregivers may diminish. Firstly, advancements in medical and micro-robotics may significantly extend healthy lifespans, allowing individuals to face death while maintaining robust health. Secondly, robots, rather than humans, will be there to assist us.
In particular, I emphasize the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) robots. Although this field may seem like a distant future or something encountered only in movies or novels, tangible progress has already been made. Nursing robots like 'Grace' resemble human forms. Through AI, they learn autonomously and are equipped with various devices inside their bodies, including temperature sensors and cameras that monitor patients' facial expressions and conditions. These humanoid robots care for patients without irritation, much like caregivers.
Robots can provide significant assistance to solitary elderly individuals, even those not receiving hospital treatment. Home robots can assess health conditions through morning inquiries, temperature checks, and blood pressure monitoring, scheduling hospital appointments or video calls with doctors as needed. They engage in conversations tailored to the individual's mood, provide companionship, deliver necessary items, and even assist with meditation, offering simple massages and cooking.
Similarly, robotic pets offer companionship, playfulness, and practicality without the burdens associated with traditional pet care. These companion robots exhibit behaviors like real dogs, providing comfort and joy without the need for walks, grooming, or veterinary visits. For elderly individuals with limited mobility, caring for a live pet may be challenging, but robotic companions can alleviate this burden, offering excellent companionship.
Humanoid robots and companion robots can provide assistance and companionship not only to the elderly but also to various generations. They can offer substantial and emotional support to not only the elderly but also to younger generations, individuals living alone, and children. For instance, they can keep company for solitary individuals in one-person households and even take care of household chores while the owner is away. AI powered by machine learning can recognize patterns of the owner and interpret emotions based on facial expressions and tones, adjusting responses accordingly. Observing robots that adapt to individuals, humans are inclined to rely more on them, eventually seeking comfort and empathy. At this point, using the term "using robots" may seem impolite as the relationship has evolved beyond mere utility to that of friendship.
The advancement of AI with self-learning capabilities and engineering technologies leads to increasingly sophisticated movements and robots that respond to even subtle motions and stimuli with more chips and sensors. Eventually, the day is not far off when we encounter robots that are nearly indistinguishable from humans. But it doesn't stop there. Robots evolve autonomously based on machine learning and deep learning. They continuously learn and evolve through interactions with humans, becoming more human-like over time. They can retrieve past conversations to provide reminders and engage in more detailed learning. Visually, robots with wrinkles around the eyes, lips, freckles, hair, spots, and even nail dirt that are difficult to discern from humans will be among us. They will react to human emotions and even offer comfort when needed. It's ironic that robots created by humans can heal human hearts, but such irony is becoming a reality. It won't be long now.
4. My thought
In the near future, it will be difficult to distinguish between humans and robots with the naked eye. At that point, it may be possible to discern humanity based solely on biological responses such as physiological signals. Alternatively, it's speculated that chips could be implanted in the human brain to directly interface with cloud networks. At this stage, the distinction between robots and humans may become meaningless altogether.
However, there are ethical concerns. There are risks and dangers associated with hacking and potential misuse by individuals with malicious intent, which could be used to harm people. Therefore, regulations and systems related to this technology must continue to evolve adequately.
There are many opposing voices, but technology has always evolved in the direction of progress, albeit over time. This will continue to be the case because humans increasingly seek convenience. While the future of living alongside robots may be daunting, it's also exhilarating and exciting.
