With the United States population rapidly aging, it’s high time to critically assess approaches to elderly care — but in the age of artificial intelligence, what exactly does that reconceptualization entail?
On March 29 and 30, the Pomona College History Department hosted a symposium titled “The History and Future of Care Robots.”
The 16 invitees — including scholars and students from various fields such as information sciences, anthropology and engineering — discussed the ethics and design of robots in healthcare and compared the use of assistive technology in Japan, Denmark and the United States.
Dr. Suma Ikeuchi, associate professor of Transnational Japanese Studies at UC Santa Barbara, Maria Meyer and Jeanne Jensen from the Knowledge Center for Assistive Technology in Eastern Denmark and Chau Vu PO ’26 were among the featured panelists.
Ikeuchi presented her findings from fieldwork at a care home in Japan called Zenkokai, which also functions as a test site for care robots for the elderly. She highlighted that care robots have a long way to go from becoming the humanoid machines that people conceive them to be; according to Ikeuchi, while over 130 care robots were tested at Zenkokai, only 20 survived the selection process.
“The reality of care robots in Japan is that most do not match the popular image of robots as we know it,” Ikeuchi said. “The official definition of robots according to the government is the following: Robots are mechanical systems that detect information, evaluate information and operate a response.”
The most common care robots are devices used to monitor sleep and other vital functions, reducing the burden on human caregivers.
Ikeuchi pointed out the ethical minefields of this surveillance.
“[This] is a large-scale collection of personal information, data application and the unilateral claiming of the private human experience as free raw material for translation into behavioral data,” Ikeuchi said. “This is an open question that we all have to consider because what can be more personal and more raw than our breathing than our heartbeats, than our sleep?”
“The increasing number of elderly citizens combined with a shortfall in elderly workforces compels us to seek innovative solutions. Technology advancements are changing healthcare and elderly care for the better, making it easier for people to live independently and improving the quality of care.”
The production of care robotics in the United States, however, is much less developed. Vu’s presentation focused on the history of care robotics in the United States and the lack of investment in the field. She observed that, up until the 2000s, robotics funding was primarily allocated for national defense purposes.
“The funding for what they called Programmable Automation in 1984 was $60 million allocated to military-like defense and military projects,” Vu said. “And [until] the 2000s, it seems like the focus on researching care robots for commercial and civilian use, [was] relatively new.”
Meanwhile in Denmark, the Knowledge Center, which employs Meyer and Jensen, provides training to healthcare professionals and caregivers for working with assistive technology in order to meet the evolving needs of elderly citizens.
Meyer focused on the necessity of innovation to provide sustainable care.
“The increasing number of elderly citizens combined with a shortfall in elderly workforces compels us to seek innovative solutions,” panelist Maria Meyer said. “Technology advancements are changing healthcare and elderly care for the better, making it easier for people to live independently and improving the quality of care.”
Jensen focused on planned healthcare reforms in Denmark, specifically in regard to the expansion of telemedicine and remote care accessibility. He emphasized the importance of building a digital infrastructure in healthcare, which creates more sustainable systems of elderly care.
“The commission also emphasizes the importance of preventive care, advocating for strategies that identify and manage health issues early on, thereby reducing the demand for more resource-intensive health services,” Jensen said. “Integration of health services across all care is another critical recommendation by ensuring a seamless flow of information and coordination between primary and secondary and tertiary care providers.”
Callan Sait, an associate professor of cultural anthropology at International Christian University, spoke about the “sociotechnical imaginaries of assistive technology” in Japanese long-term elder care. Sait commented on the interplay between self-sufficiency and support in elderly care.
“[Meyer and Jensen] talked about the ways that the care system in Denmark has set up greater autonomy and independence of the elderly,” Sait said. “It got me thinking … How important is the idea of autonomy more generally in care? For me, care is, by definition, a dependent relationship.”
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