"It's Time to Take Your Medicine"... Companion Robot 'Mapodongi' Ready for Distribution

Robot-Assisted Care Worker Training Distributed to 400 Elderly Customized Care Service Recipients... Expected to Serve as Friendly Companions, Supporting Daily Life and Emotional-Cognitive Health Care

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo District, is explaining how to use it to the elderly in the area.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yudonggyun) has completed preparations to distribute the AI companion robot, ‘Mapodongi,’ to 400 elderly recipients of customized care services within the district.

The companion robot, which is the first in a Seoul autonomous district to incorporate AI functions, is designed to care for seniors who face difficulties in daily life due to depression, chronic illnesses, cognitive impairments, and other challenges.

To this end, on February 5, the district conducted training for care personnel who provide direct care to the elderly at the forefront of welfare administration.

The training, held in four sessions for 130 dedicated social workers and care assistants from the Mapo Senior Welfare Center and the Mapo Senior Care Integrated Center, covered ▲ usage and operation of the companion robot ‘Mapodongi’ ▲ installation and recommendations ▲ care assistant management app ▲ cleaning and disinfection ▲ and after-service (AS) matters, enabling care personnel to visit seniors’ homes to install and manage the companion robots.

One care assistant who participated in the hands-on training, speaking directly to Mapodongi and hearing its responses, said, “At first, I felt shy talking to a doll, but as I kept doing it, I enjoyed it. It seems like it will be a good conversational companion for elderly people living alone who are prone to loneliness and depression.”

‘Mapodongi’ is equipped with AI natural language processing (NLP) technology, capable of conducting 1.2 million conversational (emotional dialogue) exchanges, helping to provide emotional support to seniors.

Additionally, it features deep learning capabilities, allowing it to evolve and adapt to users over time, which is also noteworthy.

The district plans to sequentially distribute Mapodongi to 400 elderly residents in the area by mid-March.

Yudonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, stated, “I hope Mapodongi will become a conversational companion that not only supports seniors’ daily lives but also cares for their emotional and cognitive health, making their later years richer and happier.”

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