Social RoboticsAI dolls spread through South Korea's eldercare system
About 14,500 Hyodol dolls are now in use as councils try to prevent lonely deaths.
An AFP report from Yongin described local authorities supplying AI care devices to older people living alone, with Hyodol saying about 14,500 of its dolls are in homes, council programmes and nursing homes. Other suppliers named include Wonderful Platform and Mr. Mind. The push follows record numbers of so-called lonely deaths in 2024 and a rapid rise in single-person households. A nurse quoted said the dolls ease depression but worried families might visit less, highlighting the tension at the centre of companion robot policy.
Source: The Star (AFP)
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