Social Robots: Their History and What They Can Do for Us

From antiquity to today, some scientists, writers, and artists are passionate about representing humans not only as beautiful statues but as automatons that can perform actions. Already in ancient Greece, we can find some examples of automatons that replaced servants. In this chapter, we go through the development of automatons until the social robots of today. We describe two examples of social robots, EVA and Nadine, that we have been working with. We present two case studies, one in an insurance company and the other one in an elderly home. We also mention the limits of the use of social robots, their dangers, and the importance to control their actions through ethical committees.

Healthcare inequalities in emergency visits and hospitalisation at the end of life: a study of 395 019 public hospital records

ObjectivesTo investigate whether there were any socioeconomic disparities in utilisation of hospital care services during end of life in Hong Kong.MethodsSecondary data analyses were conducted using frequency of the accident and emergency (A&E) department visits and hospital admissions during the last year of life in all public hospitals from 2004 to 2014 in Hong Kong. A total of 1 237 044 A&E records from 357 853 patients, and 1 878 982 admission records from 375 506 patients were identified for analyses. In total, 395 019 unique deceased patients were identified from both datasets.ResultsRegression analyses showed that comprehensive social security assistance (CSSA) recipients used A&E services 1.29 times more than the non-recipients. Being either a CSSA recipient or an elderly home resident was more likely to be admitted to hospitals and stayed longer. Elderly home residents tended to stay longer than those from the community in the earlier months during the last year of life regardless of CSSA status; however, non-elderly home residents surpassed the residents in the duration of stay at hospitals towards the later months of the last year of life. There were also significant differences in hospital utilisation across various districts of residence.ConclusionsPeople of lower socioeconomic position tend to have higher emergency visits and hospitalisation during their last year of life in Hong Kong, implying the presence of health inequality during end of life. However, due to Hong Kong’s largely pro-rich primary care system, the predominantly public A&E and inpatient services may inadvertently act as a mitigator of such health inequalities.

Progettare con il Genius loci

"The essay describes three design projects which aim to interact specifically with the Alpine context, in Switzerland, in contrast to the undifferentiated and non-specific nature of architecture in the age of globalisation. The Jugendwohnheim Mattini project in Brig enhances the surrounding rural landscape by repurposing a castle as a youth home for the housing and education of adolescents in need. The small baroque castle has undergone conservative renovation; the former barn on its side now houses teaching spaces, and a new building on the other side has been added to provide both common rooms and private bedrooms. The surrounding shared outdoor area is ideal for both leisure and educational activities: they provide an opportunity for socialisation and reintegration through work and care of the land, and through the enjoyment of its products, which translate into regeneration and self-care. The project for a new elderly home in Giornico interacts with the natural landscape of the Leventina Valley, which is narrowed by steep slopes and crossed by the river Ticino. The characteristic reference points used by the designers for the development of the final projects of the elderly home are the Romanesque church of St. Nicholas, marked by precise and rigorous stereometric volumes, and the La Congiunta museum, designed by architect Peter Märkli. The square layout of the elderly home frees up space on the sides and creates a dialogue with the surrounding environment. It extends in height, with a portico on the ground floor and a terrace on the top floor covering the entire perimeter of the building. Inside, the common rooms recall the density of villages, while the bedrooms offer domestic intimacy. Pathways and panoramic viewpoints overlook the surrounding landscape, with its natural and cultural values, representing the scenery of everyday life and the memory of the elderly. Thanks to the restoration of the Motto bridge over river Brenno, the infrastructure reconnects to the landscape, linking the village church to the oratory of the cemetery. The bridge re-establishes a continuity between anthropic artefacts, historical values, and the river landscape."