Is Sci Fi taking over Senior Health Care?


Sci fi has intersected with health care in Denmark where robotic pet seals are comforting dementia patients. Another innovation is from Henrik Scharfe, a professor at Aalborg University, who is turning new technology into sci fi dimensions with the creation of Geminoid-DK, an eerily lifelike robot.

As reported in the Globe and Mail, Scharfe is creating robots and other devices to assist in the care of the elderly and the disabled. “There is a great increase in the elderly and the number of people with chronic diseases,” Nina Husfeldt Clasen of Denmark’s Office for Welfare Technology, told The Globe. “If we don’t do something drastic we won’t be able to provide the care to the elderly and sick people that they expect.”

Geminoid-DK was created as part of a study for $519-million to envision how technologies like service robots can replace manual labour in public services. Clasen said drastic measures were needed to keep up with Denmark's growth in the elderly population and those with chronic diseases. The country now markets itself as an international test market for such devices.

The Globe and Mail article mentioned that Japan is the world's leader in robotic devices for the elderly and disabled, and faces a greater population crisis.

Robotic health care in Assisted Living  and Continuing Care in the USA is on the way.

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