Robots comfort seniors at care center

CHONGQING — A new type of robot has landed a job at an eldercare service center in Chongqing, thanks to its knack for handling the complex emotional needs of seniors.

The First Social Welfare Home of Chongqing described Peipei, the robot, as gentle, patient and good at listening and an eloquent caregiver. "If you have any questions, just ask Peipei. She can answer anything," said an 86-yearold senior in the home, who gave her surname as Wang. The resident has often interacted with the robot, from chatting to playing games, or even asking Peipei to take photos of her and remove any signs of aging in them.

Wang said Peipei is emotionally exquisite, not only answering questions, but also taking the initiative to care about her. For example, the robot can notice when she hasn't been sleeping well or is in a bad mood. The robot comforts her, reminding her that her granddaughter, who is studying abroad, might not be able to visit often, but she makes a video call every week.

Peipei's name is a Chinese homophone of companionship, said Xiang Guohui, a senior algorithm engineer with Mashang Consumer Finance Co, the developer of the robot. He said the company integrates cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and psychology and uses a multi-modal emotional large model, giving her the ability for intelligent emotional companionship, health and safety protection, entertainment and leisure services, and life assistance management.

Xiang said the company's research team found that the demand for emotional companionship ranks top for people in senior homes.

Should senior residents struggle with memory and repeat themselves, Peipei tirelessly provides feedback. "For the seniors who enter care homes, loneliness could lead to isolation. Appropriate intervention is needed in such cases," said Liu Min, vice-president of the care home.

She said it was impossible for nursing staff to meet the emotional and psychological needs of every senior resident all the time, while the robot can provide companionship for them 24 hours a day. "The value of eldercare robots is not just to assist the seniors in their lives, but also to provide a window for them to get in touch with new technologies and keep up with the development of digital society," said Liu, adding that many senior people took the initiative to learn more about humanoid robots and AI technology after Peipei appeared in their life.

"Eldercare robot technology is still in its infancy. With the comprehensive breakthrough of humanoid robots, they can work in all scenarios in the field of eldercare," Xiang said.

By the end of last year, there were more than 6 million people age 65 and above in Chongqing, accounting for 18.9 percent of the city's permanent population. The municipal government has actively explored measures to develop an "intelligent system for senior care services".

Xinhua