Robotics in the care sector - challenges for society. TAB-Fokus

There is hardly any social field that is more affected by ageing of society than care. In the future, significantly increasing care needs as well as a growing shortage of skilled care personnel are to be expected. As a matter of principle, robots offer the potential for supporting both people in need of care and carers. There are prototypes at the development stage that can be used for various tasks with regard to care of the elderly. So far, however, they have been implemented into practice only rudimentarily. Fundamental questions are raised with regard to whether a widespread use of robots would be socially desirable –particularly in view of the essential significance of human interaction for care work. Designing good care is a task of society as a whole. Besides a demand-oriented technology development, this also implies a public debate on the future role of robotics in the care sector