Slashdot Log In
In Japan, Old People Talk to Robots
Posted by
samzenpus
on Thu Dec 02, 2004 06:00 AM
from the just-visit-your-grandmother dept.
from the just-visit-your-grandmother dept.
stupidfoo writes "AFP is reporting that, starting today, "Japan's growing elderly population will be able to buy companionship in the form of a 45-centimeter (18-inch) robot" designed to help them avoid senility. The robot, named Snuggling Ifbot and developed by Dream Supply, will be able to respond to verbal commands. "If a person tells Snuggling Ifbot, "I'm bored today," the robot might respond, "Are you bored? What do you want to do?"". It retails for 576,000 yen (5,600 dollars) and there is no English version currently available but "its makers plan to program the robot in English -- not for export, but to teach the language to Japanese children.""
Related Stories
[+]
Hardware: Aging Japan Looks to Bots For Care 139 comments
An anonymous reader writes to mention a Yahoo! news article about robotics in Japan. While many research bots are working on interacting with their environment, some of Japan's commercial robotics are focusing on building bots for elderly care. From the article: "The 100-kilogram (220-pound) robot can also distinguish eight different kinds of smells, can tell which direction a voice is coming from and uses powers of sight to follow a human face. 'In the future, we would like to develop a capacity to detect a human's health condition through his breath,' Mukai said. Japan is bracing for a major increase in needs for elderly care due to a declining birth rate and a population that is among the world's longest living." That sure sounds familiar.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
How to react? (Score:5, Funny)
Should I:
a) Weep for the millions of human tragedies that must have taken place to lead so many to this extreme of loneliness and general patheticness, or...
b) Laugh because it's called 'Snuggling Ifbot'?
Eh, I'll go for b). Hee hee hee... 'snuggling ifbot'... hee hee hee...
Not very large (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not very large (Score:5, Informative)
Everyone else, beware of the Pusher Robot, he is not to be trusted. I, the Shover Robot am here to save you!
Parent
rather than forcing it to use it's AI for conversa (Score:3, Interesting)
sure makes it easier to pass a turing test...
Sounds familiar... (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like a 5600$ version of Eliza.
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:4, Funny)
Dr. Sbaitso: "CAN YOU THROW POOP FOR ME NOW?"
Parent
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:2)
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:3, Interesting)
Old people often have failing memories and need tools that remind them of specifics. One thing they would need above all out of a machine like this (if they can get over the shock of the idea of looking to a machine for this kind of help anyway) would be intelligent prompting, with specific words or items that they are likely to have forgotten.
I agree the description makes this robot sound like an expensive 'Eliza'. If reflecting and being vague rather th
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:2)
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:2, Funny)
Snuggling Ifbot? (Score:5, Funny)
I am not a doctor (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I am not a doctor (Score:5, Insightful)
Studies have shown that passively sitting around not talking to anyone all day doesn't exactly help your brain keep in shape. (You have to exercise it, you know? Seriously.)
Parent
Re:I am not a doctor (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:I am not a doctor (Score:2)
That explains the majority of the posts on Slashdot then.
Re:I am not a doctor (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
hahaha what a laugh if... (Score:2, Interesting)
Ooops, scarey thought, what if someone actually did this? Robo identities with an ulterior motive!
What if someone goes senile, and leaves all thier assets to the robot?
Come to think of it, why did I think this was funny... more like insightful!
*adjust ancient-korean tinfoil hat*
I envisioned this way back (Score:3, Insightful)
I'd love to be able to just look at any screen in the appartment and ask what I was supposed to do today, ask if there are any interesting news etc. A computer won't get bored with you asking for the nth time, and can alert someone if you don't take your medicine. If technology allows, why burden our children? They can come over to visit instead of taking care of you.
I'm not sure I'd want a robot though. Face-in-the-TV is more my style. Think Max Headroom, only with class
Re:I envisioned this way back (Score:2)
Because they deserve it, the sniveling little ingrates!
In Japan... (Score:5, Funny)
Like talking to Eliza? (Score:2, Funny)
Why do you think you are alone?
Yes, but you are not alive though are you?
What makes you think that?
You are alive? OMG, what did they do to you?
Tell me more about why you think you are alone.
But you just said you are alive.
What makes you think I just said I was alive?
AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.
Lets watch tv and have some fun!
Re:Like talking to Eliza? (Score:2)
Great. (Score:3, Interesting)
Whew. Thanks, Ifbot. You solved that problem. I don't know what I would have done without you.
Re:Great. (Score:3, Interesting)
On one hand, it's sad that people need robots to talk to, rather than each other. On the other hand, this is eerily reminiscent of Solaria in Asimov's books.
Oh wait, wasn't Solaria itself modeled on the Emperor-ruled Japan? Looks like some cultural influences never leave, they merely come to haunt the people in different disguises.
Japans "CareBots"... (Score:4, Interesting)
The Idea was that elders spoke to the teddy, who tried to convert their word to written language. This was transferred to a central station, where social workers read them on monitor, and replied (e.g. answering questions). The teddy-bot then "spoke the answer to the elder.
Dont know if this project still is in progress. However, an old lady mentioned that the positive impact of the robot was that so much researchers and journalists came to visit her these days...
What is the deal with the Japanese? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:What is the deal with the Japanese? (Score:5, Interesting)
You're either seriously misinformed, too lazy to look up the real facts or just trolling actually. While Japan is certainly far from perfect, this is a totally unfair attack.
It's called Hikikomori so you can look up more info on it. Yes there are a million teens who have this problem, but there are many millions who don't. The problem isn't considered a disease (at least not yet), and the problems that trigger it are problems that occur elsewhere as well. From this site [doubletongued.org]: "For reasons ranging from bullying to exam failure, some young people are shutting themselves away in their rooms and having as little direct contact with the outside world as possible. Many are suicidal, but lack the will to make good their morbid fantasies." From what I've read (in the past, can't find the exact links right now) it's a combination that generally causes it. It's not just bad grades or bullying, but a combination of those and/or other factors. Faced with that kind of pressure kids in any country are going to have trouble dealing with it. In fact, China and Korea have problems with high teen suicide rates (just like Japan) largely due to all three placing such importance on doing well on school. If China and Korea aren't seeing problems similiar to Hikikomori yet, they will in the future.
As for why the US doesn't, well kids here by and large don't give a damn if they do well in school so that's one less pressure to trigger something like this. But we do have bullying in schools, in spades in fact, and we have nothing to be proud of in the results it can cause, remember Columbine? What's sad is we didn't really learn anything from that tragedy, the initial response was to ban wearing black trenchcoats and to target teens with similar interests to the two instigators for further scrutiny. What needs to be done is to focus on the kids who are the bullys and punish them for bullying others. Until bullying, which is the root problem, is addressed other incidents like Columbine are likely to happen. I hope I'm wrong there, but I doubt it.
On please, you know absolutely nothing about manga. Yeah there is tentacle rape stuff, but it's just a drop in the sea. Japan produces comics for all ages, and they're quite popular. It's everywhere, and most of it is decidedly NOT pedophilic or tentacle rape. And of the stuff that is, as another pointed out it's not necessarily pedophilic, it's cultural issues that lead to the creation of it. (And BTW, the US has some blame in that, we're the ones who applied the first anti-obscenity laws to Japan post WWII.)
At least they're trying to do something about the problem, exacly what are we doing here in the US? At best we're building more nursing homes to stuff the elderly into so we can forget them. Hardly a higher moral ground.
What say you buck the general American trend of presuming you know everything about a country you've not even been to and stop acting all high and mighty when you're clueless. While Japan isn't perfect, neither is the US and in the grand scheme of things the US probably has more to be ashamed of. We also have our share of crippling psychological problems, you just don't appear to be aware of them either. (Do you even watch/read the news?) Depression is becoming epidemic and one of the top prescription drugs people get busted for having is Xanax. Xanax isn't a narcotic, it's an anti-anxiety medication.
And frankly when it comes t
Parent
Snuggling Ifbot, huh... (Score:2)
I'd have said worst, but really, it's just so silly! But then I guess this is from the nation that brought us one of the finest performance cars ever, titled the Fairlady.
In america.... (Score:5, Funny)
I welcome the Anti-Senility Industry overlords (Score:5, Informative)
"Senility" is a blanket term covering all kinds of maladies, including Alzheimer's, the effects of stroke, and atrophy of various kinds. Most people in geriatrics agree that to stave off senility you should use the same tactics you use to stay healthy now. Eat sensibly, get plenty of exercise (including the horizontal variety if you can get it!), and engage in mentally challenging activities.
The mentally challenging activities that are best at delaying senility are things you've never done before. If you've never played music, try learning to play an instrument. Learn another language, especially sign language. If you have an elderly relative, get them hooked on email. It won't take long, since they're usually starved for communication.
A talking robot is fine, but old people really need young people.
Support (Score:5, Funny)
Customer: I can't log into my database instance
Support: You can't log into your database instance?
Et cetera...
Re:Support (Score:2)
Anyway, here have an unofficial +1 Funny from me
Limited use... (Score:2)
If a person tells Snuggling Ifbot, "I'm bored today," the robot might respond, "Are you bored? What do you want to do?"
Might respond? That's a lot of money for the possibility of a reply.
Robot, schmobot (Score:5, Funny)
Full circle (Score:2)
At least Teddy could read stories.
By the example (Score:2)
Well in Soviet Russia... (Score:2, Funny)
Sad (Score:4, Interesting)
One hundred years ago, having children was an insurance for old age: if you had many, at least one of them would take care of you. At least, such was the situation in Europe (where I live), and I know this was especially the case in Asia too. Probably life was shorter back than, and the elderly weren't a 'burden' for a long time...
Nowadays, people live longer (or at least they can choose to, by living healthy... obesitas anyone?), and their offspring is busier. So I can understand it is not always feasible to take care of your parents yourself, and we now have nursing homes.
But when I am old, and put in such place, which is understaffed, and no one has the time to deal with me, and the only companion I have is an AI electronic device, why would I want to live any longer? Or why wouldn't I be better off senile? The only explanation is that a minimal preservation of my mental abilities would be easier for the (few) humans taking care of me.
A sad 28 year old.
Z
One step closer (Score:2)
Seriously though, I've seen on TV before how elderly people in Japan were given little animatronic bears to keep them company. Perhaps for those suffering from dementia it could be an aid, but mostly I found it sad. Imagine being cooped up in a home for the elderly with just a machine that is barely on the level of "Eliza" to keep you company, every day the same as last. No wonder some long for death.
When my parents are getting old, I will make sure I ha
Ready supply of people (Score:2)
Just a thought.
Video clip of anti-senility robots (Score:3, Interesting)
Japanese robots talk. US robots shoot! (Score:3, Funny)
"I'm bored today."
[KLA-CHAK!] "Activating weapons systems! Target located! Preparing to terminate!"
"I'mnotboredanymore! AAAAIIEEE!"
Re:And in the rest of the world (Score:2)
In Korea, only old people email robots?
Re:And in the rest of the world (Score:2)
Re:Depends what they're used for... (Score:3, Interesting)
Robot wife gets stuck in endless programming loop, owner shagged to death.
Re:Somebody hand me a gun... or the specs. (Score:2)
Re:Diamond Age... (Score:3, Funny)
Child: Teach me English.
Robot: All your base are belong to us.
Re:Actual Rest Home Conversations (Score:3, Insightful)
You see, by eliminating any of the old Japanese people who succumb to senility, desptie Snuggly Ifbot tell them otherwise, they keep their success rate at 100%. The will of course eventually lead to a "happy" version of the robot that will eradiate all sorrow on earth.
Let me be the first to say how very very happy I am at these developments. SO VERY HAPPY...