The future of robotics was omnipresent at CES 2019 with the latest in companion, health and customer service robotics on display from exhibitors including Honda, LG, Samsung, Sony, SoftBank, Toyota and Ubtech. Specifically, several exhibitors highlighted the capabilities of companion robots that will address the challenge of managing care and limiting social isolation for the elderly and individuals with limited mobility. This development is only made possible by recent advancements in machine learning, sensors, data connectivity and other underlying technologies.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, roughly 12 million people in the U.S. require some form of home health care, a figure expected to climb as America’s population grows older. Further, a 2015 report featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly two million elderly Medicare individuals rarely or never leave their homes. Seeking to address this need, several CES exhibitors demonstrated solutions including:
The advent of companion and health-based robots offer a small preview of the future for home robotics. Longer-term, technological advancements will improve the quality of life and health of the elderly and homebound.
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