The Robotic Multi-Care Network: A Field Study of a “Robot Grandchild” in South Korea

Technical solutions are being presented for the healthcare and welfare of the aging population. One example is Hyodol, a robot developed for older adults living alone in South Korea. By offering various services such as religious chanting, dementia-prevention quizzes, and daily medication reminders,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:East Asian science, technology and society technology and society, 2024-04, Vol.18 (2), p.177-195
Main Authors: Shin, Heesun, Jeon, Chihyung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Caregivers
Dementia disorders
Fieldwork
Geriatrics
Older people
Population studies
Regional development
Robotics
Robots
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Summary:Technical solutions are being presented for the healthcare and welfare of the aging population. One example is Hyodol, a robot developed for older adults living alone in South Korea. By offering various services such as religious chanting, dementia-prevention quizzes, and daily medication reminders, Hyodol is expected to serve as a companion for lonely older adults. This paper analyzes how the robotic care program for older adults is operating within the Korean public welfare system. Based on our fieldwork at regional welfare institutions and older adults’ homes, we show that the robots along with its monitoring system, older adults, institutional managers, caregivers, company staff, and family are forming what we call a “robotic multi-care network.” Within this network, the elderly users cultivate their own ways of building relationships with the robot, some perceiving it as a “grandchild” while others view it as a medium to connect with caregivers. The introduction of the care robot at the welfare institutions does not make their elderly care work unmanned, nor does the robot substitute for human caregivers. Instead, it displaces and redistributes the caregivers’ tasks and responsibilities, leading to multiple eldercare practices—tactile, digital, proximate, remote.
ISSN:1875-2160
1875-2152
DOI:10.1080/18752160.2024.2348304