Calling Doctor Robot - a ten point prescription for AI-enabled social care

Social and health care is one of the hotspots for the transformative application of robotics and AI. The market has particular appeal in both the UK and US, where 65 populations are set to soar over the next 20 years. So the opportunity for the sensitive application of new technologies – including humanoid care robots, tele-robotics, tele-medicine, autonomous vehicles, assistive devices, light exoskeletons, smart domestic machines, and more – is huge, given the current shortage of qualified staff. Human skeletons, musculature, and internal organs can be scanned and mapped in minute detail, as can the genome itself. So robotic-assisted microsurgery and the use of AI in disease detection, diagnosis, prevention, and cures are good applications of these technologies, which can both extend and complement human skills – as the developers intend.