By: Isaac Yuan

Have you ever dreamed of owning robots that can perform tasks for you? Well, the Mattlins, who are in their 80s, have several smart robots, and they can have conversations and play games with these robots.

The home of Audrey and Ken Mattlin, in Bakersfield, is run by the Mattlins and their several robots. Astro is basically a tablet on wheels. It can follow you on command, play music, and more. There are also ElliQ and Jibo, two other smart robots. ElliQ looks like a table lamp. The robot cannot roll around like Astro, but it doesn’t need to because it is supposed to support a healthy and happy lifestyle at home. It can answer notifications or calls, kind of like Alexa. Jibo is arguably the most lifelike robot since its head can turn and its body swivels. It is also very smart; it can recognize faces, understand sentences, and reply to them.

Some people think that these robots and other technology, like Alexa, are a way to address the epidemic of loneliness felt by many adults. However, other people, like the Mattlins, bought their robots simply because they were curious about AI.

It’s probably safe to say that the Matllins did not buy the robots to help treat isolation; they’ve got their children, grandchildren, and each other. They bought them to help feed their curiosity.

Still, Ken and Audrey both say their robots are good companions. One time, when Ken dozed off, Audrey talked to ElliQ instead. The robot can be programmed to remind you to take your medication or when your appointment starts, but Audrey often uses it to play games.

“Let’s play trivia,” she said.

“Sounds good,” said ElliQ. ElliQ talks like the other robots, partly human and partly robot. “It’s trivia time. Six questions coming right up.”

I would still like to have robots do things for me, though.