ElliQ Review: An AI Companion Bot for Lonely Elders

For the past few weeks, the AI-powered ElliQ companion robot has perched on the end of my desk. Designed by Intuition Robotics for seniors living alone, this proactive animatronic chats to me throughout the day, checking how I'm feeling, suggesting "fun" activities, and prodding me to be more active and sociable. While it can be annoying, I've grown attached to ElliQ despite myself, and I can see the positive potential. According to the US Census Bureau, around 16 million elders (over 65) live alone in the country, and up to a third report feelings of loneliness. Multiple studies have shown that social isolation harms mental and physical health, increasing blood pressure, depression, weight gain, alcohol and drug use, and decreasing physical activity, cognition, heart health, and sleep.