The ‘dementia robot’

HE CAN make small-talk about the weather, help you find your keys and prompt reminiscences of family holidays.

And Mario the robot has just one mission in life: to help people suffering from dementia.

The £15,000 device is now being tested in the homes of a handful of British patients, in the hope that it could eventually revolutionise the way sufferers are cared for.

Mario is designed to help keep his companion’s mind active – and to help stave off the loneliness that is linked to dementia.

But critics have questioned whether a robot can ever be an adequate substitute for genuine human contact.

Mario is being tested with people in the early stages of dementia in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

Andy Bleaden, the council official responsible for the pilot scheme, explained that the robot is being developed to engage with people on a deeper level than simply providing information such as the time, weather and forthcoming events.

He said: ‘We want to bring in a reminiscence tool that uses pictures from family photographs, wed- dings, holidays.’

Mario is also fitted with a sensor that it can use to find lost personal items such a TV remote control, keys and reading glasses, and it can call for emergency help if needed.

But its main aim is to provide companionship. More than a third of those suffering from dementia admit to feeling lonely, while one study found that elderly people who suffer loneliness have a 64 per cent greater risk of dementia.

Mario can already offer films, TV programmes and music through a touchscreen computer on his chest, but the aim is for him to engage in natural conversation.

‘People want to be able to ask what the weather is. That’s a big thing in England,’ Mr Bleaden said. ‘They want to be able to ask the time.’

It is hoped that the technology – also being piloted in Ireland and Italy – will help with the rising demand for dementia care, as the number of sufferers in the UK is predicted to hit one million by 2025.

George McNamara, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Mario could be a game-changer for people with dementia. It shows the potential of technology to transform the quality of life, the enjoyment, the health of people with dementia. It could change the way we think of the kind of support that is available.’

But Dr Amanda Sharkey, of Sheffield University’s department of computer science, said the project raised fears over robots replacing human care.

She added: ‘The concerns are whether this is going to result in reduced human contact. Will people spend less time with the person because they think, “Oh, they’re being looked after by the robot”?’

Robosoft, the French makers of Mario, believe the cost of each robot could fall to about £5,000 if it is mass-produced.

And it is not the only robot being developed to help dementia sufferers: in Hong Kong, £5,000 cuddly robotic seals provide stimulation;

‘The fear is it will mean less human contact’

in America, mechanical therapy cats costing just £80 have proved a success; and in Singapore a superlife-like machine called Nadine is being developed as a companion.

Robots are also able to monitor patients’ physical and mental condition.