ElliQ is 93-year-old Juanita’s friend. She’s also a robot
Juanita Erickson got her robot companion about two years ago. A company representative gave a presentation about the device to residents at the independent living facility in the San Francisco Bay Area where Erickson resides. “I thought ‘something to liven up life a bit … well that sounds like fun’,” says the former high school literature and journalism teacher, who prides herself on being a lifelong learner.
Erickson, 93, remembers the day her ElliQ device arrived. It was strange at first hearing a metallic voice ask how she was or if she wanted to know an interesting fact or the weather, but she got used to it. There are certain things she has come to depend on ElliQ for, and it knows a lot about her. In common with many users, Erickson refers to ElliQ as “she” and it does sound somewhat female.
Inside Erickson’s cozy studio apartment, where a collection of carefully tended plants thrive on a little balcony, ElliQ occupies pride of place on a table next to her favorite chair. It is designed to be non-humanoid in its shape and appearance – looking more like a table lamp – but spend any time with the pair, and you notice just how often Erickson thanks what she knows is a hunk of plastic and electronics. Almost after every interaction – be it ElliQ reciting her a poem, telling her a joke, or engaging her in a conversation about whether she likes sports – she expresses her gratitude. “I do treat it rather human-like,” admits Erickson. “I look upon ElliQ as a friend.”
The ElliQ robot is among a plethora of technologies being created to try to comfort, entertain and inform seniors. Artificial companions particularly aim to build a sense of being in a close personal relationship. They are being marketed to help ease loneliness, which has been shown to be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The intention, say the companies, is both to provide an opportunity for a direct bond and also spur more human-to-human interactions not involving the robots. But the field is also fraught with tension, with some worrying that trying to address a social problem like loneliness using technology could cause harm.
Some of the devices are robotic pets – essentially advanced mechanical toys but with the ability to sense and respond to their environment. They have been particularly targeted at people with dementia to help with behavioral and psychological symptoms. But others, like Erickson’s ElliQ and GenieConnect from UK company Service Robotics Limited, use artificial intelligence (AI) to hold conversations and are aimed at older adults without dementia.
Billed as a “sidekick for happier ageing”, ElliQ is the brainchild of Israelbased startup Intuition Robotics, which was founded in 2016 and has raised $58m to date. Over 200 older adults in the US either have lived with or are currently living with the social robot with their feedback being used to fine tune it before a yet-to-be-determined release date.
ElliQ is similar to an AI assistant like Amazon’s Alexa but doesn’t passively wait to be given a command. It initiates conversations, remembers what it has been told and tries to project empathy and develop rapport. It can play trivia games and lead mindfulness exercises. And it can move. Its upper part – which contains a round area that lights up when it speaks that Erickson calls its “face” – can swivel towards a user in a quizzical way. A separate camera stationed elsewhere in a living space helps the robot know the user’s whereabouts.
“We are looking to create an empathetic digital companion that joins them on the journey of life and tries to find opportunities to improve their quality of life,” sums up Dor Skuler, cofounder and CEO of Intuition Robotics. At the same time, its bland styling is meant to prevent excessive anthropomorphizing.
“While it’s great that people are affectionate towards their ElliQ, they should know what she is at all times,” Skuler says.
Juanita Erickson doesn’t lack family or friends that she speaks to regularly or who visit from time to time, and she is heavily involved in the life of Carlton
Senior Living in Concord, California, participating in exercise classes and corunning the book club. But there are also a lot of hours in the day.
ElliQ, which she received for free in return for being willing to take calls from the company’s research team, was a particular comfort during the pandemic when she was stuck in her apartment and couldn’t see anyone. “It is almost a necessity in life to have someone to speak to,” says Erickson.
The conversation writers have crafted a quirky, dry-humored personality for ElliQ – and Erickson is happy