Robot carers

Robots and automated systems are being used in more and more industries and fields. One of the more recent ways in which robots have been utilised is in the field of elderly care.

Some people think this is great development, while others worry about the quality of the care provided by robots.

Listen to the BBC podcast about automated robot carers and answer the question.

In which year was the first commercial robot built?

1. 1944

2. 1954

3. 1964

Listen to the podcast again and answer the multiple choice questions:

(a) Traditionally, those that take care of the elderly are:

1. women

2. men

3. humans

(b) Recently in the UK, the government set up a 34 million pound fund to:

1. investigate the feasibility of robot carers

2. find and train more people to care for the elderly

3. develop robots to care for the elderly

(c) Pepper, a robot that has been introduced to the elderly:

1. can move things

2. can cover its eyes

3. can hold objects

(d) Pepper, the robot is designed to:

1. be a companion

2. act as a nurse

3. provide medical care

(e) Dr Sarah Wooden feels that,

1. robots carers are a very positive development

2. ethics need to be considered when developing robots

3. robots should replace nurses in care home

Listen again and note the meaning of the following vocabulary mentioned in the podcast.

• empathy (n)

• privacy (n)

• physical assistance (n)

• companion (n)

• tight (money) (adj)

• abandoned (adj)

• ethics (n)

When you are ready, enter your details below to answer the multiple choice and vocabulary questions