Robots: The Future of Eldercare

By: Elaine Mora

Advances in technology have been astounding over the last decade. Electronics are starting to be built into everything from vacuums to toothbrushes and slowly, but surely, computers will become an invaluable part of every aspect of daily living. Someday, you’ll be able to take a shower and the bathroom will not only detect you, it will adjust the height of the sink to your level and set the water temperature to 96 degrees, just the way you like it.

Taking care of the elderly will become much easier, as well. Remember Rosie from The Jetsons? She was able to cook and clean and even read their son, Elroy, a bedtime story. It may be a long time before we see a robot that we’re actually able to communicate with, but robots that cook and clean are already in production. Think about your elderly loved ones. Instead of having to send them away to a retirement home, they’ll be able to spend their remaining years at home with you, where they should be. And you won’t have to worry about leaving them alone or making sure they’re taking their medication.

Now, it’s really going to take a long time before robots are advanced enough to fully take care of us, so don’t start believing that they’re going to take all our jobs. But robots, or more likely just computers, will be built into everything and make life easier. Instead of a robotic nurse pushing grandpa around in a wheelchair, the robot may actually be the wheelchair. Grandpa will simply have to think about which direction he wants to move and his robotic chair will follow.

Imagine the possibilities of living in a world where you won’t have to remember when to take which pills or where your wheelchair will be able to go up and down stairs with ease. Help will always be instantly at your side, so there will be less of a need for emergency response and homes will be a completely safe environment.

This all may sound great, but can we really expect to see all this new technology anytime soon? The answer is yes, and no. Within our lifetimes, expect to see electronics built into just about everything. Expect to be able to use verbal commands to control most major household appliances, but don’t expect them to be able to answer back with a witty remark until about 2050. We are in the electronic and digital age, but will soon be up against the robotic and nanotechnology age.

Robots/computers are already being used for more precise surgery, to make parallel parking easier, and even to fight wars. Within 10 years, every single household will be home to at least one new robotic device. Within 20 years, robots will be able to protect our houses and keep our children and elderly citizens safe. In just 2 generations from now, children will be born into the hands of machines and bedridden seniors will be comforted knowing they can safely still live at home.