By: Eric Liu

In one particular house in Bakersfield, California, there lives a lonely old couple. As they wake up, they are greeted by robots, many of which are able to interact and communicate with their humans.

86 year olds, Ken Mattlin and Audrey Mattlin, have been using the new cutting edge robot technology in their Bakersfield home for a long time. For them, the robot is a companion that they could connect with. These companion robots ultimately can decrease loneliness.

Both the ElliQ and Jibo robots communicate with the Mattlins, making them feel less lonely. Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times writer, wrote of Audrey Mattlin that “At times, she seems more apt to speak to ElliQ than her husband of 66 years.”(Los Angeles Times).

Audrey Mattlin talks to these robots way more than to her actual husband, so they share a connection. While talking to ElliQ it can decrease her loneliness since she is able to talk and socialize with the robot. Due to the fact that Audrey talks to the ElliQ on a day to day basis, these robots can help to decrease loneliness by sharing a connection with the owner.

How does an ElliQ work? On the ElliQ website they state that, “ElliQ is simple and easy to use. Through voice command, on-screen instructions, and proactive suggestions, ElliQ interacts with you in a way that feels natural, effortless, and personalized.” (ElliQ website).

With tailored robots and simple commands, even a complicated robot can be easy to use. These friendly companion robots can also be very versatile since they could be talking, playing games, setting up reminders, and even helping to check out your health.

While Jibo more than less is the same as ElliQ, he does have a special thing about him. Jibo can do dance moves. This mainly causes Ken Mattlin to laugh.“He twerks”(Los Angeles Times) said Mattlin.

The Mattlins also have a robot called Astro, a multipurpose robot. Upon seeing Astro, Steve Lopez asked, “Is there no limit to what Astro can do for you?” (Low Angeles Times).

The robot can mainly do anything that Ken wants like delivering things. But this robot also doubles as a security robot helping the Mattlins.

Many of these Robots have good benefits. As they will, “never get impatient or frustrated. They’ll never forget a pill or a doctor’s appointment. And they won’t abuse or defraud anyone.”(Vox).

These robots can follow a strict schedule, so in case a relative forgets about an appointment, the robot could remind them. Another thing is that the robot won’t be hostile, compared to if the elderly had a corrupt family relative that only wanted to use them for their own gain.

With the use of many Companion robots Such as ElliQ, Jibo, and Astro, they ultimately serve a purpose, whether it is decreasing loneliness and helping them overall. For the people that have them It can be a great tool for them to use in their everyday life, but they can also shed light on the issue of loneliness.