Carebots for eldercare: Technology, ethics, and implications

Abstract As the demographic cohort known as the “Baby Boomers” age in many nations around the world, emerging trends show that this aging populace in need of caregiving services may soon outpace the number of individuals trained and licensed to provide such care. Simultaneously, advances in robotics technology, consumer electronics, and telehealth are progressing to the point that some tasks associated with eldercare can be addressed via technological solutions and may continue to advance to the point that more and more caregiving services required by the elderly in need may be automated and provided by robots. Such robots are referred to in the literature and in industry as carebots. Carebots can provide a number of benefits to the elderly and could help address a potential gap between the number of licensed caregivers available and the number of people requiring caregiving services. In recent years, ethics literature has debated potential ethical and moral concerns about carebot technology. However, consensus on what (if anything) should be done about carebots is lacking. Should carebots be heavily regulated, or even banned outright? Or are carebots a beneficial technology that should be embraced, even preferred over human caregiving? This paper explores the state of the art of carebot technology and where it may progress in the future, summarizing and addressing some of the ethical concerns about carebots and making recommendations for the present and near future use of carebot technology for providing care for the elderly.