Thinking May 28th, 2025

Silver solutions: robotics and AI for the ageing generation

Molly Smyth
By
Molly Smyth Senior Human Factors Consultant

“A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”

So decreed author Isaac Asimov’s as the ‘first law of robotics’ in his 1942 collection, I Robot.

The thinking posed by this science fiction classic is being brought into sharp focus today by the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in advancing better healthcare solutions.  And perhaps nowhere more so than in supporting an ageing population to live longer and healthier lives.

Demographic inevitabilities

Design for Older People is one of Ensera Design’s areas of focus based on our assessment of key trends impacting future healthcare. The Uk-based Centre for Ageing Better predicts that the number of people aged 80 and over is set to more than double in the UK, reaching 6 million in the next 40 years. While an ageing population should be celebrated as a testament to advancements in medicine and technology, this demographic shift also places significant strain on healthcare systems and staff. As people live longer, the demand for complex, long-term medical care rises, leading to overwhelmed healthcare facilities, workforce shortages, and increasing costs. Indeed, research by the Nuffield Trust has found that NHS spend per person rises sharply after age 50, with data from the UK Health Security Agency suggesting the healthcare bill of the typical 90-year-old is five times that of a 50-year-old.

Source: Office for Budget Responsibility (OBD), Representative profile for health spending.

Value of AI in combatting fall risk and loneliness

AI offers potential to support this demographic shift by creating new healthcare solutions that promote independence, health, and connection. At its most basic application, AI-powered virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Home can help older adults manage daily tasks, set reminders for medications, and stay connected with loved ones through voice commands. In healthcare, AI is used in fall detection systems, such as those integrated into smart wearables, alerting caregivers instantly in emergencies. Machine learning was used to allow the creation of Smotion, a fall detection system based on the clarification of data with 96% accuracy. Additionally, companion robots like ElliQ offer companionship to combat loneliness – a known risk related to mortality.

AI and Robotics supporting specialist resource in care homes and hospital settings

With care homes fees averaging £1,610 a week when nursing care is required, will we see an increase in robots of this kind to bridge the gap for families burdened with the increased cost of aging?  And how could AI support more effective hospital stay recovery too?

Speaking in the context of a recent partnership between North Bristol NHS Trust and the Robotics Laboratory at UWE Bristol, Mr Tim Whittlestone, Clinical Director for Anaesthesia, Surgery, Critical Care and Renal at Bristol NHS Trust, spoke to the benefits of adding robotic assistants to the workforce: “We have an ageing population requiring ever more complex treatment. Robots can help us do some of the more mundane, repeatable tasks and free up staff to do what they do best – listening, thinking and caring.”

AI in detection and diagnosis

Looking to the future, can we anticipate an even wider application? How can AI and machine learning be used to better diagnose conditions in elderly people? Since speech is considered one of the effective ways to diagnose cognitive decline, robotic assistants may soon be used in the diagnostic space. Similarly, an output from the COVID-19 pandemic identified that cough symptoms can be used by AI algorithms to detect and diagnose different types of known diseases including pneumonia, where the mortality rate can be as high as 20%– particularly in the elderly. In the physical space, robotics have been used widely to support injury rehabilitation, but might we see them creep more commonly into everyday support for senior citizens through smart walkers, designed to predict emergency situations.

Mitigating risks of AI and robotic care

As well as solving healthcare problems faced by the elderly, AI also presents opportunities to reduce the costs associated with elderly care. It’s a vast space with impactful potential. However, having robust risk mitigations in place for AI in medical devices is crucial to ensure patient safety, system reliability, and ethical compliance. At Ensera Design, we are excited to dive deeper into the risk mitigation process around AI and robotics, fuelled by the recent FDA guidance on a recommended approach to submissions with AI imbedded into the device:  Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Device 2 Software Functions: Lifestyle Management and Marketing Submission Recommendations.

Stay tuned for our next article where we explore how industry experts, can support the safe role out of AI enabled tools to support healthcare.

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