https://www.rt.com/news/556101-elliq-robots-elderly-empathy-loneliness/
New York state is distributing robot caretakers to some 800 elderly adults in an effort to combat a burgeoning epidemic of loneliness, the New York State Office for the Aging announced in a press release on Wednesday.
Manufactured by Israeli company Intuition Robotics, the ElliQ bots being distributed to New Yorkers’ households are said to “foster independence and provide support for older adults through daily check-ins, assistance with wellness goals and physical activities, connection to family and friends, and more.” The program is supposedly aimed at combating loneliness, which a growing body of scientific studies has shown has detrimental health effects as bad or worse than smoking and obesity.