older people
An industry targeting Australia's ageing population is growing, but can AI deliver more humanity in aged care?
Abi uses AI and machine learning to interact with aged care and assisted living residents. Abi uses AI and machine learning to interact with aged care and assisted living residents. An industry targeting Australia's ageing population is growing, but can AI deliver more humanity in aged care? While companion robots are being introduced and virtual experiences hope to'take loneliness away', one expert agrees tech should never replace the human element "You'll never get rid of humans," Prof Wendy Moyle says, during a discussion about robots and other technology in aged care and residential homes. Then, a beat later, she adds: "Well, I don't we'll get rid of humans."
Better Than "Better Than Nothing": Design Strategies for Enculturated Empathetic AI Robot Companions for Older Adults
Pedersen, Isabel, Slane, Andrea
The paper asserts that emulating empathy in human-robot interaction is a key component to achieve satisfying social, trustworthy, and ethical robot interaction with older people. Following comments from older adult study participants, the paper identifies a gap. Despite the acceptance of robot care scenarios, participants expressed the poor quality of the social aspect. Current human-robot designs, to a certain extent, neglect to include empathy as a theorized design pathway. Using rhetorical theory, this paper defines the socio-cultural expectations for convincing empathetic relationships. It analyzes and then summarizes how society understands, values, and negotiates empathic interaction between human companions in discursive exchanges, wherein empathy acts as a societal value system. Using two public research collections on robots, with one geared specifically to gerontechnology for older people, it substantiates the lack of attention to empathy in public materials produced by robot companies. This paper contends that using an empathetic care vocabulary as a design pathway is a productive underlying foundation for designing humanoid social robots that aim to support older people's goals of aging-in-place. It argues that the integration of affective AI into the sociotechnical assemblages of human-socially assistive robot interaction ought to be scrutinized to ensure it is based on genuine cultural values involving empathetic qualities.
As Russian army inches closer, Ukrainians must decide to stay or go
The white armoured police van speeds into the eastern Ukrainian town of Bilozerske, a steel cage mounted across its body to protect it from Russian drones. They'd already lost one van, a direct hit from a drone to the front of the vehicle; the cage, and powerful rooftop drone jamming equipment, offer extra protection. But still, it's dangerous being here: the police, known as the White Angels, want to spend as little time in Bilozerske as possible. The small, pretty mining town, just nine miles (14km) from the front line, is slowly being destroyed by Russia's summer offensive. The local hospital and banks have long since closed.
Facilitating the Emergence of Assistive Robots to Support Frailty: Psychosocial and Environmental Realities
Higgins, Angela, Potter, Stephen, Dragone, Mauro, Hawley, Mark, Amirabdollahian, Farshid, Di Nuovo, Alessandro, Caleb-Solly, Praminda
While assistive robots have much potential to help older people with frailty-related needs, there are few in use. There is a gap between what is developed in laboratories and what would be viable in real-world contexts. Through a series of co-design workshops (61 participants across 7 sessions) including those with lived experience of frailty, their carers, and healthcare professionals, we gained a deeper understanding of everyday issues concerning the place of new technologies in their lives. A persona-based approach surfaced emotional, social, and psychological issues. Any assistive solution must be developed in the context of this complex interplay of psychosocial and environmental factors. Our findings, presented as design requirements in direct relation to frailty, can help promote design thinking that addresses people's needs in a more pragmatic way to move assistive robotics closer to real-world use.
The use of a humanoid robot for older people with dementia in aged care facilities
Wu, Dongjun, Pu, Lihui, Jo, Jun, Hexel, Rene, Moyle, Wendy
This paper presents an interdisciplinary PhD project using a humanoid robot to encourage interactive activities for people with dementia living in two aged care facilities. The aim of the project was to develop software and use technologies to achieve successful robot-led engagement with older people with dementia. This paper outlines the qualitative findings from the project's feasibility stage. The researcher's observations, the participants' attitudes and the feedback from carers are presented and discussed.
British biotech races US's 'buff billionaires' for secret of eternal youth
About a decade ago, 125 amateur cyclists from all over the UK filed into the laboratories at King's College London. Aged between 55 and 79, they were there to participate in a long-term study examining how regular physical activity affects the ageing process. Janet Lord, professor of immune cell biology at Birmingham University, who conducted the study in collaboration with King's professor Steve Harridge, said the team were surprised by some findings when they examined the cyclists' bodies and took blood samples over several years. Her subjects, described as "very keen cyclists", were fairly fit, riding up to 60 miles a week. "We found things like increased fat in the body, which a lot of people tell you'oh, there's nothing you can do about that, that's part of ageing' โ just were not true. They didn't happen in this group. We compared them with healthy older adults who were not regular exercisers. Our group did not lose muscle โฆ and didn't lose much bone mass either," said Lord, who is the director of the university's Institute for Inflammation and Ageing, and a special adviser to the House of Lords inquiry into ageing, which published a report in 2021.
Be well: Prevent dangerous falls among older adults by taking key steps
As more doctors and nurses leave the profession, providers are turning to AI technology to help bridge the coverage gap, especially among older Americans. More than one out of four older people experience a fall each year -- and three million of them are treated in the emergency room for their injuries, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dangerous falls can be prevented by following safety protocols. Christynne Helfrich, PT, a physical therapist commercial consultant for Hinge Health in Illinois, shared some expert tips with Fox News Digital. Going for daily walks or engaging in other low-impact physical activities can help to strengthen muscles, keep joints flexible and maintain overall endurance, Helfrich said.
Who will take care of Italy's older people? Robots, maybe.
CARPI, Italy โ The older woman asked to hear a story. "An excellent choice," answered the small robot, reclined like a nonchalant professor atop the classroom's desk, instructing her to listen closely. She leaned in, her wizened forehead almost touching the smooth plastic head. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.