A Barcelona resident, Irene Veglison, 67, has rediscovered her love for dance after a 1.35-metre-tall robot moved into her home three months ago.
Ms Veglison received the device in November as part of a government initiative aimed at supporting individuals in the early stages of cognitive decline.
Marta Villanueva Cendán, a councillor for Barcelona’s municipal council, explained the project’s ambition: “We’re developing this pilot project to improve tele-assistance.”
The initiative addresses Spain’s growing challenge of an ageing population and declining birth rates, which places increasing strain on its care sector.
Looking ahead, Ms Cendán added: “In the future, we want the robots to detect risk and alert professionals, like if the person has fallen and cannot respond.”
Barcelona has deployed 600 such robots to private homes and care centres, funded by a €3.8 million grant from the European Union’s COVID recovery funds. The devices are manufactured by US-based Misty Robotics and distributed in Europe by Catalan firm Grup Saltó.
Veglison, who lives with her two cats, has named her bot Sandi.
It reminds her to take her medication at 9 a.m., tells her when her doctor appointments are, wakes her up in the morning and bids her goodnight at the end of each day.
Nearly 2 million people over 65 live alone in Spain, three-quarters of them women, according to official data.
Studies estimate the country will need to double its long-term care workforce by 2030. Yet, pay about 10,000 euros below the national average has deterred younger workers and more than half of current staff are over 45, according to think-tank Funcas.
In an emergency, Veglison can call a social worker through the device, which has a camera that can be activated remotely to assess the situation and offer help.
Scrolling through YouTube on its built-in screen, she selected a French chanson and swayed with Sandi as the screen tilted back and forth with her movements.
The devices are fitted with screens offering entertainment apps, a calendar, maps, and a selection of cartoon-like faces to set when it is on standby, with expressions like “surprised”, “loving” or “asleep”.
“It’s not just a trinket: there are lots of people behind it who are looking out for you, checking whether you’ve fallen down, whether you’re okay,” Veglison said.