The UK has moved a step closer to developing robots capable of providing support and making caring responsibilities easier, following a £34 million Government investment announced on 26 October.
With about 14% of the UK population expected to be over 75 years old by 2040, so-called ‘care robots’ could help to pro-vide assistance for those who need it most.
The research programme supported by this funding is dedicated to making autonomous systems safe and trustworthy for public use and to developing robots to one day fulfil tasks such as: helping an elderly person up after a fall and raising the alarm; delivering food to older people at meal-times; and ensuring that they take their medication at the correct time.
Autonomous systems are currently built across industries to solve challenges, but in order to be used by people, they must be designed to be safe, keep data secure and have a clear set of rules in order to make effective decisions.
This programme will undertake research into their design; for example, ensuring that robots are better protected against cyber-attacks and that they demonstrate principles like respect, fairness and equality, enabling them to eventually be used in environments like care homes and hospitals.
This announcement follows Government investment in a Bristol-based project that has developed a prototype of a robot called CHIRON, designed to support older adults with mobility and other ageing-related impairments.
The robot could eventually assist with anything from bringing a tray of food or drink to a patient, to helping those with mobility issues get to their feet from a chair.
The latest phase of the project in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (
www.bristolroboticslab.com) is conducting research to ensure that these robots are trustworthy and safe for use.