Yangcheon-gu Introduces Robot 'Riku' to Teach Smartphone Usage to Seniors

40 Robots Distributed to 3 Senior Welfare Centers for 1:1 Customized Education... Selected for Socially Vulnerable Benefit Support Project Using Robots by Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) announced that it has been selected for the “Robot Utilization Socially Vulnerable Benefit Support Project” organized by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement and will distribute 40 robots that teach elderly people how to use messenger apps such as sending text messages or photos to three welfare centers in the region.

In January, a consortium consisting of five autonomous districts including Yangcheon-gu, the Seoul Digital Foundation, and robot companies was formed to propose a “Robot Solution” that provides one-on-one customized education on how to use digital devices such as smartphones for the elderly, leading to the promotion of the robot distribution project.

Starting this month, the district will begin developing educational content and programs to bridge the digital divide together with the Seoul Digital Foundation and robot companies. In the second half of the year, the educational robot “Riku” will be distributed to three elderly welfare centers in the region, where various educational courses will be operated.

The robot “Riku” to be distributed this time is equipped with AI (artificial intelligence) that can judge and act independently, learning the faces, emotions, and tendencies of people around it to respond actively. It has various functions such as bipedal walking and voice recognition.

Additionally, the robot “Riku” teaches elderly people how to use mobile messenger apps such as sending text messages or photos on their phones on a one-on-one basis. With voice recognition and response functions, it also enables interactive communication learning where users can ask questions and receive answers.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “As we enter the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the digital exclusion of the elderly is becoming more severe,” adding, “I hope that through customized educational robots, elderly people will overcome their fear of using smart devices and be able to utilize them well.”

For more details, please contact the Innovation City Planning Office.

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