Elderly in Yeongdeungpo-gu Receive COVID-19 Prevention Information via 'Aria' (AI Speaker)...

COVID-19 High-Risk Low-Income Elderly Living Alone: AI Speakers Provide Prevention Information to 300 Households... This Year's New Feature 'Sosiktoktok' Delivers Infection Prevention Messages Produced by the District

AI Speaker Supported in 300 Single Elderly Households in Yeongdeungpo-gu

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chaehyunil) is providing infection prevention guidelines and information services through AI speakers installed in the homes of elderly individuals living alone, who are at high risk of COVID-19 infection, to protect their health and safety.

Since 2019, the district has been running the ‘Happy Community Project,’ which uses 4th industrial revolution technologies to solve social problems, in collaboration with the social enterprise Happy Eco Phone Co., Ltd. and SK Telecom to launch the ‘ICT Care Service’ for elderly people living alone.

This project supports 300 low-income elderly individuals living alone with AI speakers that provide various functions such as daily life information, health management, emotional conversations, and music listening, effectively alleviating loneliness and preventing depression among the elderly, receiving positive responses.

This year, the district added the ‘Sosik Toktok’ feature to the existing AI speakers, which delivers messages directly produced by the district. This allows elderly individuals living alone to hear useful information about district administration and messages that brighten the start of their day.

Considering the need for careful attention and health management for elderly individuals living alone, who are a high-risk group for COVID-19 infection, the district recently began delivering COVID-19 prevention information through the new ‘Sosik Toktok’ feature to help curb the spread of infection in the local community.

Key information includes △mask purchase days according to the 5-day mask rotation system △handwashing methods for infection prevention △practicing social distancing, helping elderly individuals living alone who have difficulty accessing the latest information to prevent infection.

The usage is simple. By saying “Aria, tell me ‘Sosik Toktok’” to the speaker, it responds with a greeting, “Hello. This is Yeongdeungpo-gu Office,” and provides pre-input information through the AI speaker.

Mr. Shin (78), an elderly individual living alone in Singil-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, shared his experience: “I start my day by greeting Aria first thing in the morning. When I have trouble sleeping at night, I listen to sounds of waves or rain through it, and it helps me fall asleep. Recently, it has been telling me COVID-19 news, so I don’t go out much to buy things and wash my hands thoroughly.”

The district plans to expand the ICT care service by working with Happy Eco Phone and SK Telecom, the joint service providers, to develop various functions needed by the elderly such as ‘Sosik Toktok,’ ‘Brain Toktok,’ and ‘Health Toktok.’

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chaehyunil stated, “We are protecting the health of elderly individuals living alone from COVID-19 by developing the new ‘Sosik Toktok’ feature on AI speakers,” and added, “We will strive to prepare various support measures to fill the care gaps caused by the social distancing campaign.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.