Jungnang-gu AI Robot 'Riku' Leads Dementia Prevention Efforts

AI Robot 'Riku' Equipped with Emotional Care Education Content Aiming to Prevent Dementia by Enhancing Accident, Language, Spatial Perception, Calculation, and Memory Skills

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) will operate emotional care education using the AI robot ‘Riku’ for seniors at senior centers and welfare centers starting in September.

The AI robot Riku is equipped with educational software that enables mobile messenger training, navigation, delivery app usage, as well as voice recognition and response functions. Since 2020, it has been used for education aimed at enhancing the digital capabilities of seniors.

This time, additional emotional care education content has been installed, enabling cognitive ability improvement education for dementia prevention. The purpose is to prevent dementia by strengthening seniors’ thinking, language, spatial perception, calculation, and memory abilities through cognitive function enhancement games.

The education is conducted as a one-on-one program between the senior and the robot Riku, where Riku reads each question aloud and the senior responds using a smartphone or tablet PC.

Since this emotional care education is conducted using smart devices, the district expects it will help not only improve seniors’ cognitive abilities but also enhance their digital literacy.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “I hope this education will be a good opportunity for seniors to adapt to and develop skills in digital culture such as smart devices and AI robots,” adding, “We will continue to strive to prepare various educational programs to strengthen the capabilities of digitally marginalized groups and reduce the digital divide.”

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