Could robots be our carers?

I currently care for my 91 year old dad. and have been doing so for almost 2 years now. The govt pay me a derisory £63 a week for doing it. (FYI I earnt that in just over 2 hours when I had a job).
Most of his care is just routine. The things that cause me more issues are hospital/doctor trips. How will a robot cope with driving my dad to the hospital? That’s assuming it can help get him out of the house. The poor man is on water tablets, and uses a potty during the night, I can’t see robot coping with emptying that once let alone every day. The bedroom to the toilet requires going down 3 steps.
Whilst I fear that someone has decided that this could save £63 a week. I don’t think its even a starter for me. Will the robot know when the quacks have sent the wrong medication ? And yes that is a real world issue. Sadly too many people only view the NHS with rose tinted glasses.

Just going down the pharmacy to get your pills, then I’LL BE BACK.

Sophisticated robots are currently very expensive – in industry they do simple repetitive jobs very well. It is hard to see how they could be both affordable and flexible at the same time.

I seem to recall that Which? has tested “robot” vacuum cleaners with mixed results.

Somebodies been reading the University of MIddlesex /Bedfordshire report and yes its got profit in mind .The EU +Japanese Industry are putting $2 Million feeders out for their “Pepper Robots” manufactured by Softbank Robotics with the intent to give us a “happier life ” . Handicapped person -I need a body bath – Robot -okay madam – gets water towel etc – starts at top -scream sorry madam did I rub your nose off, makes way down body more screams- robot – I see madam you are losing limbs and blood may I call for help ? what was that – more screams , sorry but I will have to contact my base for advice first , but I observe your room is being flooded by red coloured liquid – may I call a plumber –madam . Hello base this is Robot – b56c mpf 98053274 i am getting no reaction from this human organism at this address -please advise? –OH no ! guess who has an interest in this ? MIcrosoft — Every “patient ” will be imprinted with our sealed software so that you cannot use other robotic companies , quote – “we are only safeguarding our interests ” Future quote ?) . Multi racial picture on website with “good alien ” Pepper holding up his hand in peace – it also includes a nice dog but no cat ( bad publicity on the cat issue Pepper )

It’s true that “All computer based tech things can and do go wrong” but the same is true of humans , and they can even be malevolent, which computers can’t – at least, not until AI is significantly more sophisticated. But for the moment, I suspect DerekP’s comment is the critical one. Current Robotics is still at the crawling stage; there still doesn’t exist a humanoid robot that can climb stairs quickly and reliably and until much more efficient batteries are developed I doubt the £2m – little more than a drop in the ocean – will have much effect.

This is now the second time that an article in Which Convo has a mirror image in my favourite cartoon website Dilbert ( copyright ) . Todays cartoon- pointy haired boss to Dilbert – we replaced our company lawyer with a robot- its already rewrote all our contracts into gibberish -Dilbert- do we want that- pointy haired boss- I tried to ask, but it threatened to sue me.

I was listening to Radio 4 just now where they were discussing heart, brain implants and hearing aids, that have wireless input to alter settings for example. They, it was said, have no firewall or other protection because of the extra power required which leaves the possibility of them being hacked. Possibilities such as altering the volume of hearing aids and playing David Bowie music, altering your heart rate or even causing it to stop, and more worryingly altering the way your brain responds. So hacking caring robots? Using a smartphone to cause mayhem is something I’d rather not look forward to 🙂