Robots not a hit with senior citizens in Japan

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

It’s no secret that Japan’s aging. In fact, the book, Pocket World in Figures (2004 Edition) indicates that the country has the highest media age at 41.3. It’s also predicted in that book that in 2050 Japan’s median age will be 53.2. I don’t have the 2005 edition of that book, but I doubt the figures have changed much.

In preparation for this, Japan has worked to bring robotics to the fore in the lives of seniors. But robots haven’t exactly been a hit with them.

High-tech gadgets and futuristic robots which Japan had hoped might lend a hand when the population turns gray haven’t caught on with the elderly, who according to forecasts will make up around 40 percent of the population by the middle of the century.

“Most (elderly) people are not interested in robots. They see robots as overly-complicated and unpractical. They want to be able to get around their house, take a bath, get to the toilet and that’s about it,” said Ruth Campbell, a geriatric social worker at the University of Tokyo. Source: Reuters

We Say: What seniors in Japan have complained about is they want simplicity, not complexity. They see robots as complex, and I can understand that because it’s hard enough to get seniors to understand the Internet (SOME anyway, not all).