Written on December 17, 2008 – 6:28 am | by Maria Mihale |


I’m very impressionable when it comes to aged people, maybe because I’ve been raised by my grand-parents and almost everything I know is the result of a very special relationship with two human beings that dedicated their lives to see me the person I am today. Having them around from the moment I was born, I became conscious about the importance of taking care of our dearest ones, irrespective of their age.

I have always said that my grand-father is one of my best friends and I’m telling you: age isn’t a boundary when it comes to friendship. That’s why, seeing a device like the Mamoru robot makes some cold shivers going down my back. This conceptual robot was designed and developed by the University of Tokyo and is aimed at assisting old people in their everyday routine.

Maybe you wonder how something like this is possible, as the robot doesn’t have arms or legs, so there’s no way for Mamoru to be an active presence in your grand-mother’s house. However, the robot has something that many old people don’t. And I’m talking about memory.

As the elder-care resources are never enough, Mamoru had to be invented. Look at its eyes. They’re nothing but wide angle camera lenses that help the robot scan the objects it runs across which is possible due to the image recognition software. This could be very helpful for someone who can’t remember where he/she put the glasses or the remote control. Mamoru will act just like a loving grandson, reminding politely the grand-parent the place where those things are. More than that, there’s a special function that allows the user to program Mamoru to remind him when to take medication.

This is pretty impressive, I agree, but I’m not sure how effective a soulless object can prove itself to be. I don’t know if the best solution for the care of old people is to be left to robots. It sounds impersonal, especially if you think that we’re talking about those who raised us and who spared no efforts in order to make us the happiest people on earth.

(Source: Dvice)