Abstract
Robots have become a big issue in the twenty-first century, not least in elderly assistance. There are hopes that robots will make aged-care jobs less demanding, for example, they could help senior citizens maintain a longer independent life in their own home, assist caregivers in the nursing home, or provide company to the lonely. However, there are different opinions about the use of robots in our society. In 2012, a survey was conducted in 27 EU countries to examine the public's attitudes toward robots (Special Eurobarometer 382).1 More than 26.000 European citizens responded about the areas where they believe robots should be used as a priority or banned. The survey indicated that, in general, less than one-fourth (23%) of Europeans have a negative opinion of robots. But when asked about the areas in which robots should be banned, more than half (60%) of the respondents stated that the use of robots should be banned in the care of children, elderly, and the disabled. Given these figures, little acceptance can be expected currently for robots in aged care. Nevertheless, the demographic change in developed countries places ever increasing challenges on the care and support of the elderly. Due to a higher life expectancy and declining birth rates, the proportion of older people compared to the younger ones increases and with it the number of people in need of care. For instance in Germany, 30 years ahead, predictions are that the number of 80 year old citizens will be larger than the next generation of 50 year olds that could support them.2 One possible solution considered to meet these challenges is that the use of robots in aged care could help to fill the gap.
Highlights
Robots have become a big issue in the twenty-first century, not least in elderly assistance
Would it be ethical to fob off old persons with a robot? And would such a robot ever become reality? Thirty years later, there are robots developed for the daily care activities of persons, like lifting, bathing or feeding, including ethical reflection from the care ethics tradition (Van Wynsberghe, 2013)
One could argue that suffering is part of the human condition and that “robots like me” may be more empathetic caregivers responding to the emotional needs of a person than a being without conscious experience
Summary
Reviewed by: Jane Elizabeth Aspell, Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom Andrea Lavazza, Centro Universitario Internazionale, Italy
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