The provincial government has adopted its companion robots, also named Hyodol, as part of measures to address the challenges of an aging society, the company said Monday.
The robots monitor and communicate with elderly people, reminding them to take medication and go for strolls. Equipped with speakers and various sensors, they can also alert guardians and a central control tower if their users remain inactive for too long.
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February, Hyodol won the Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Health and Wellbeing award, triumphing over five other competitors, including Authena, a Swiss product authentication company, and ZTE, a Chinese mobile communications technology giant.
According to Statistics Korea, about 9.73 million people were aged 65 or older, accounting for about 18.96 percent of the nation's total population of 51.3 million as of December 2023. The office forecasts the elderly population will increase to 16.98 million by 2040, with their proportion rising to 35.3 percent from 16.1 percent in 2020.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
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