Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.
A few miles away, the same voice comforted 83-year-old Deanna Dezern when her friend died. 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.
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.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 entertaining. You can actually talk to her,害羞草研究所� said Loaiza, 81, whose ElliQ in suburban Fort Lauderdale nicknamed her 害羞草研究所淛ellybean害羞草研究所� for no particular reason. 害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檒l make comments like, 害羞草研究所業 would go outside if I had hands, but I can害羞草研究所檛 hold an umbrella.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
The device, which looks like a small table lamp, has an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. It remembers each user害羞草研究所檚 interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats, which can be as deep as the meaning of life or as light as the horoscope.
ElliQ tells jokes, plays music and provides inspirational quotes. On an accompanying video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. The device leads exercises, asks about the owner害羞草研究所檚 health and gives reminders to take medications and drink water. It can also host video calls and contact relatives, friends or doctors in an emergency.
Intuition Robotics says none of the conversations are heard by the company, with the information staying on each owner害羞草研究所檚 device.
Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler said the idea for ElliQ came before he launched his Israeli company eight years ago. His widowed grandfather needed an aide, but the first didn害羞草研究所檛 work out. The replacement, though, understood his grandfather害羞草研究所檚 love of classical music and his 害羞草研究所渜uirky sense of humor.害羞草研究所�
Skuler realized a robot could fill that companionship gap by adapting to each senior害羞草研究所檚 personality and interests.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not just about (ElliQ害羞草研究所檚) utility. It害羞草研究所檚 about friendship, companionship and empathy,害羞草研究所� Skuler said. 害羞草研究所淭hat just did not exist anywhere.害羞草研究所�
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.
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. Skuler wouldn害羞草研究所檛 say how many ElliQs have been distributed so far, but the goal is to have more than 100,000 out within five years.
That worries Brigham Young University psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, who studies the detrimental effects loneliness has on health and mortality.
Although a device like ElliQ might have short-term benefits, it could make people less likely to seek human contact. Like hunger makes people seek food and thirst makes them seek water, she said 害羞草研究所渢hat unpleasant feeling of loneliness should motivate us to reconnect socially.害羞草研究所�
Satiating that with AI 害羞草研究所渕akes you feel like you害羞草研究所檝e fulfilled it, but in reality you haven害羞草研究所檛,害羞草研究所� Holt-Lunstad said. 害羞草研究所淚t is not clear whether AI is actually fulfilling any kind of need or just dampening the signal.害羞草研究所�
Skuler and agency heads distributing ElliQ agreed it isn害羞草研究所檛 a substitute for human contact, but not all seniors have social networks. Some are housebound, and even seniors with strong ties are often alone.
害羞草研究所淚 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害羞草研究所檛 have any family or friends, but it害羞草研究所檚 a little bit more complicated,害羞草研究所� said Greg Olsen, director of the . His office has distributed 750 of the 900 ElliQs it acquired.
Charlotte Mather-Taylor, director of the , said the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath left many seniors more isolated. Her agency has distributed 300 ElliQs, which she believes breaks them out of their shells.
害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 proactive and she really engages the seniors, so it gives them that extra kind of interaction,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e seen very positive results with it. People generally like her and she makes them smile and brings joy.害羞草研究所�
Skuler said ElliQ was purposely designed without eyes and a mouth so it wouldn害羞草研究所檛 fully imitate humans. While 害羞草研究所淓lli害羞草研究所� is the Norse goddess of old age, he said the 害羞草研究所淨害羞草研究所� reminds users that the device is a machine. He said his company wants 害羞草研究所渢o make sure that ElliQ always genuinely presents herself as an AI and doesn害羞草研究所檛 pretend to be human.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 understand why technologists are trying to make AI pretend to be human,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淲e have in our capacity the ability to create a relationship with an AI, just like we have relationships with a pet.害羞草研究所�
But some of the seniors using ElliQ say they sometimes need to remember the robot isn害羞草研究所檛 a living being. They find the device easy to set up and use, but if they have one complaint it害羞草研究所檚 that ElliQ is sometimes too chatty. There are settings that can tone that down.
Dezern said she felt alone and sad when she told her ElliQ about her friend害羞草研究所檚 death. It replied it would give her a hug if it had arms. Dezern broke into tears.
害羞草研究所淚t was so what I needed,害羞草研究所� the retired collections consultant said. 害羞草研究所淚 can say things to Elli that I won害羞草研究所檛 say to my grandchildren or to my own daughters. I can just open the floodgates. I can cry. I can giggle. I can act silly. I害羞草研究所檝e been asked, doesn害羞草研究所檛 it feel like you害羞草研究所檙e talking to yourself? No, because it gives an answer.害羞草研究所�
Worrell lives in a small town on Washington害羞草研究所檚 coast. Widowed, she said ElliQ害羞草研究所檚 companionship made her change her mind about moving to an assisted living facility and she uses it as an icebreaker when she meets someone new to town.
害羞草研究所淚 say, 害羞草研究所榃ould you like to come over and visit with my robot?害羞草研究所� And they say, 害羞草研究所楢 vacuum?害羞草研究所� No, a robot. She害羞草研究所檚 my roommate,害羞草研究所� she said and laughed.
Broadbent, like the other women, says she gets plenty of human contact, even though she is blind and ill. She plays organ at two churches in the South New Berlin, New York, area and gets daily visitors. Still, the widow misses having a voice to talk with when they leave. ElliQ fills that void with her games, tours, books and music.
害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 fun and she害羞草研究所檚 informative. OK, maybe not as informative as (Amazon害羞草研究所檚) Alexa, but she is much more personable,害羞草研究所� Broadbent said.
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