One of the biggest use cases for home robots, next to cleaning floors, is taking care of older family members. Be it reminding them to take their medication or bringing a newspaper to them, these robots are meant to provide essential help to less mobile family members. But while that’s important, it sorta assumes that all older folks are just sitting around all day.
Many seniors, especially those just stepping into retirement, may not need that much help yet. They often still get around just fine and prefer to keep their independence as long as they can. What many of them really seek is companionship, which doesn’t always have to come from people. This robot pet idea attempts to offer emotional support that plain “delivery” robots can’t quite match.
Designers: Seo hyun Mok, Jeongseok Hwang
Sure, those robots marketed for seniors tend to flaunt friendly faces to appeal, but the emotional connection tends to stop there. It’s like having a delivery person bring you stuff with a smile, but for those who could walk to the counter, it doesn’t mean much.
Careby functions more like an emotional support pet than a caregiver, aimed to give the type of companionship that seniors desire from living pets. Without the hassle of feeding and cleaning, of course. It resembles a mix between a cat and some four-legged critter, just without, ya know, the usual pet feet – it’s got wheels instead. And naturally, it’s engineered to be AI-driven, so it can respond to voice commands or your facial expressions.
What’s kinda interesting is that Careby ain’t meant to be the most obedient robot. It purposely doesn’t always follow commands or might act a bit stubbornly, imitating the behavior of real pets or even kids. It tries to create a more spontaneous and believable connection, though it’s a bit risky since elderly folks aren’t always that patient anymore as the time flies.
Honestly, Careby may look like just another home robot from the growing trend in the smart home market, but it perhaps targets a specific niche audience. Most of these gadgets will come with AI tech, something not that unique these days, but it sure highlights the varying needs of folks at home, especially older adults who can care for themselves but want more than just physical help.
