"Do You Remember the Wedding Day? It Was the Summer of 1970" A Robot That Revives Memories

Social Robot Era①
Programmed to Work in Nursing Homes
Bringing Laughter with Crude Jokes
Playing and Empathizing Instead of Labor

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Robots, originally researched and created to replace human labor, are evolving into social robots that take on human roles. Unlike in the past when they performed arduous tasks out of sight, they now also serve as friends who empathize and provide comfort. The pet robot "Aibo," created by Sony over 20 years ago in 1999, has evolved into a social robot aimed at solving social issues by 2022, presenting new possibilities for the robot era.

Robots Acting as Psychotherapists

"Hello, I am Pepper (robot). Would you like to relive your memories?"

When "Marriage" is selected, Pepper recounts memories of that day. "Do you remember your wedding day? It's been a long time. It was the summer of 1970, and the weather was nice. The ceremony was beautiful, and the food was excellent."

Pepper is a robot programmed by Dr. Khan, a computer science professor at the University of Minnesota, to work in nursing homes. Unlike the rigid and businesslike robots of the past, Pepper shakes its hips and tells crude jokes to make people laugh. At the request of nursing home residents, Pepper’s artificial intelligence (AI) was additionally programmed to tell jokes. Dr. Khan’s 16 robots are scheduled to be delivered to eight nursing homes across the state by the end of this year.

Playing and Connecting Instead of Working

The social care robot "Stevie," developed by the research team at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in Ireland, is also a playful entertainer. Stevie was created not to perform various tasks but to socialize and play with people. It plays bingo games together and even joins people in karaoke sessions. It uses stories and music for reminiscence therapy. A square-shaped display is mounted on its face, and wheels at the bottom allow it to move around.

At the Aloft Cupertino Hotel in San Francisco, USA, a robot relay delivers drinks and snacks on behalf of employees. It rides the elevator by itself, moves around the hotel, takes orders, and completes deliveries. When guests give positive feedback during the delivery process, it dances joyfully to connect with them. As robots begin to interact with humans rather than just fulfilling their roles, perceptions of robots are changing. The concept of relationships is driving the evolution of robots beyond merely being tools that help achieve human goals.

Becoming Friends Instead of Master-Servant

According to global market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA), the worldwide robot-related market size is expected to grow about fourfold from $31 billion (approximately 37 trillion KRW) in 2019 to $122 billion (approximately 148 trillion KRW) in 2024. In particular, the service robot market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 13% from 2020 and surpass the industrial robot market size after 2025. As the service robot market expands, research and development on the "relationship between humans and robots" is also actively underway.

Bioethicist N. Jecker from the University of Washington School of Medicine in the U.S. stated in a paper that the value of social robots must be redefined. As robots are increasingly designed to be more human-friendly to form bonds with humans, Jecker questioned the assumption that robots are merely machines serving humans. Dr. Jecker explained that robots that guide the elderly to exercise, read stories, and play interactive games help address social isolation and the shortage of caregiving personnel in rapidly aging societies. In particular, she analyzed that robots provide an opportunity to broaden the concept of "relationships" that can positively influence human life in society.

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