Affordability will be key, as will understanding which labour shortage areas represent most potential for volume sales beyond dangerous/undesirable tasks. Expensive animatronic faces should fall by the wayside. We hear much about warehousing variants as a starting point but what next?. GPR house robots are all well and good, and may be financially viable even if marketed as little more than rich persons' novelty tech. Health and social "senior care" robot initiatives have promised much, and so far delivered very little. As our population demographic ages at a worrying rate, with no corresponding adequate increase in nursing and care staff, there will be real demand for care & companion robots which are context-aware with care-specific training and the dexterity and strength to assist elderly care. Whilst they will need to be more than just a GPR, or a disappointing Alice or Moxi, potential volumes could make an affordable care & companion specification more than just niche, and just maybe financially viable.
Affordability will be key, as will understanding which labour shortage areas represent most potential for volume sales beyond dangerous/undesirable tasks. Expensive animatronic faces should fall by the wayside. We hear much about warehousing variants as a starting point but what next?. GPR house robots are all well and good, and may be financially viable even if marketed as little more than rich persons' novelty tech. Health and social "senior care" robot initiatives have promised much, and so far delivered very little. As our population demographic ages at a worrying rate, with no corresponding adequate increase in nursing and care staff, there will be real demand for care & companion robots which are context-aware with care-specific training and the dexterity and strength to assist elderly care. Whilst they will need to be more than just a GPR, or a disappointing Alice or Moxi, potential volumes could make an affordable care & companion specification more than just niche, and just maybe financially viable.