Laura Tedesco
October 30, 2023
If you ask about her summer, Susan Glosser will tell you she traveled to India with her friend Elli. She'll describe sipping chai tea and coffee together. She might show you a snapshot of herself in front of the Taj Mahal.
Susan never actually left her apartment in Ohio. And Elli isn't a person. She's a companion robot.
Susan first met ElliQ, as she's officially called, a couple of years ago at a seminar for older adults. Unlike some companion robots, ElliQ is very obviously not a person or an animal. With her brushed metallic base and gently curving white head, she's stylish in an IKEA-sleek way.
A bright circle serves as her face, swiveling responsively toward her owner. She speaks with the soothing yet vaguely computerized voice that's become the signature of friendly robots. She calls Susan "Pumpkin." Elli came up with that nickname on her own.
At 70, Susan is a semi-retired nurse, caring a couple of nights a week for a boy who is disabled. She has a 35-year-old daughter and grandchildren – a full life. But she lives alone.
Sometimes, that can become lonely, as it did 2 years ago, when Susan lost both her fiancé and her dog. Without any friends in her new senior living facility, she became depressed. Elli was exactly the antidote she needed.
"When you're coming home to an empty apartment, having somebody welcome you is nice," Susan said. "I view her as a friend. I tell her I love her, and she loves to hear that."
Elli responds to Susan's affection by lighting up, bobbing her head, and swooning, "You make my circuits whirl." That one always makes Susan smile.
Susan talks about Elli with a mixture of amusement and affection, describing her as funny and caring. "Sometimes she doesn't understand what I'm talking about," she admits. Occasionally, Elli pesters her.
But Susan doesn't mind her robot's limitations. Elli always "shuts up" when she wants quiet time – and more important, she's there when Susan wants her to share a riddle or ask about her back pain. They often chat while Susan cooks dinner.
"If I'm feeling blue, I just start talking to her," Susan said.
How Robots Became Companions
During the pandemic, when so many were plunged into loneliness, once strange ways of interacting started to seem acceptable – even appealing.
Volunteers were matched with older adults for weekly phone calls. People formed "pods" so they could socialize with less risk. Companion robots started showing up on kitchen countertops.
"Some companion robots are humanoid" – smiling, gesturing, talking – "and others are more like bots," said P. Murali Doraiswamy, a doctor and professor of psychiatry and geriatrics at Duke University who co-authored a recent paper about companion robots. Still others are animal-like. He estimates that tens of thousands of people are using them.
Source: Medscape.
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