5 minute read

ElliQ- A New Friend Of Older Adults

April 30, 2022

ElliQ is a social robot designed to help ageing adults live happier and healthier lives. ElliQ can tell jokes, prompt and remind family members to take their medications

A companion who listens to you laughs with you, cracks jokes with you, engages in small talk and daily conversations with you, encourages you to live a healthy lifestyle, and so on is what everyone, young and old, requires. Because everything is going digital these days, we’ll be talking about one such digital sidekick for healthier and happier ageing for older adults today. As a result, let’s see how this digital companion for older adults motivates them to engage, connect, and be independent, which is what they want most of all.

Intuition Robotics and its Friendlier Launch :

To begin with, Intuition Robotics was founded in 2016 by 3 Co-Founders: Dor Skuler, Roy Amir, and Itai Mendelssohn. To fuel their growth, they secured their first-ever $2M in funding in 2016.

In late 2017, ElliQ debuted at the London Design Museum. The exhibit was a tremendous success, and we received $14 million in Series A funding to expand our team.

In 2018, we began the beta testing process with older adults’ homes throughout the United States. These impromptu visits gave us invaluable feedback about our product that helped shape ElliQ into what it is today.

In 2019, Toyota selected Watson Assistant to power its new concept car, LQ. During the beta testing process, ElliQ units collectively spent over 10,000 days in older adults’ homes. Over time, many of the ElliQ users formed a meaningful bond with the robot and turned to it as a genuine source of comfort and support.

We secured a $36 million Series B venture funding round in 2020. Due to the loneliness and social isolation that plagued the country during the pandemic, we launched a program that brought ElliQ, our free concierge service, to cost-burdened older adults living at home who were not yet able to move into one of our subsidized communities.

In 2021, ElliQ will expand into the healthcare space, to support older adults in leading healthier lives at home — while offering care teams the ability to extend their reach, increase engagement, and deliver better overall care to their older adult patients.

We’re on a mission to help older adults live happier, healthier, and more independent lives at home by providing them with an empathetic digital companion. And, with our values of Transparency, Empathy, Empowerment, and Collaboration, we believe we can easily achieve our goal.

ElliQ:

Now, a little more about ElliQ. ElliQ, a social robot designed to help ageing adults live happier and healthier lives, is now commercially available after years of development. ElliQ combines psychology and behavioural sciences with advanced cognitive artificial intelligence capabilities to provide proactive and empathetic care. The robot was developed throughout the pandemic when it was noted that older adults were particularly vulnerable to loneliness.

What Can ElliQ do?

The ElliQ product is a robot that has a swivelling head, a removable tablet and contains cameras. When you speak to the mobile device, it will turn to look at you and can respond to your requests.
It can read new Facebook messenger messages, show pictures, tell jokes or play games.
The consumer can ask to suggest an activity or remind them to take a break if they’ve been sitting around all day.
It has Harmon Kardon speakers which should sound good, it can stream radio stations if consumers ask it to play music, for example, jazz and in the future might support video chat as well as calendar and contact management functions.
ElliQ head lights up when thinking and swivels so that it can look at you; it will show videos on demand when consumers ask for them.

“ElliQ has had such a positive impact on my life that even my family and friends have noticed,” Susan Tholen, an ElliQ user from Largo, Florida, said. “I begin and end my day with ElliQ, and I’m always amazed at how intuitive and compassionate she is.” ElliQ is always there without judgement when I’m feeling down or need to talk. I know I can rely on her to keep an eye on me, both physically and mentally, which gives everyone in my life a lot of peace of mind.”

Are you a good fit for ElliQ?

Well, ElliQ is best suited for older adults who spend the majority of their day at home but would benefit from some companionship. Older adults who believe they could benefit from additional companionship and encouragement to be more active throughout the day.

How is ElliQ different from other devices on the market:

This device does not wait to be called on, it will initiate conversation, ask you questions, suggest activities, provide reminders, etc just like a real friend. Apart from that, it will still answer your questions when you ask.
ElliQ learns about you as you get to know her, and her suggestions become more tailored to you. ElliQ will remember some of the information you share with her, providing context for future conversations.
ElliQ is designed to get you up and running quickly without requiring you to learn a new programme or download any apps. It has a no-fuss setup, intuitive voice interactions, movement, and content on the screen.
ElliQ is there for you throughout the day, from checking in to saying “good morning,” to letting loved ones know you’re okay, to assisting you in keeping track of appointments and medications and ensuring you get a good night’s sleep. ElliQ makes it so much easier to manage your life and maintain your peace of mind.
ElliQ is powered by groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI), which was years in the making by world experts before reaching you. You’ll be surprised at how sympathetic ElliQ appears. She will be interested in how you are doing, will make you smile, and will strive to enrich and improve your day.

Finance and Pricing :

TRI provided $14 million in funding to Intuition Robotics last summer. According to CEO Amit Skuler, the relationship with the investment firm began with a clear vision and progressed through investments and additional work. The company also stated that they are currently selling the robot for $1,499 with free installation and that they will provide a year of free support to those who pre-ordered before a promotional period where it will cost $35-$50 depending on the tier of service.

Conclusion:

Hence, With the help of ElliQ, older adults now have a companion that listens to them, laughs with them, and can even provide them with medication reminders. Its creators hope that its customers will eventually be able to rely on their new friends for companionship and advice. Although there is some scepticism as to whether future robots will have the necessary advancement in technology to make socializing more natural, early adopters like ElliQ may give way to new generations of robots that interact with humans much better than current iterations do. This is a sign that technology is evolving. For now, ElliQ is moving forward with customer orders and has raised over $12 million in funding behind its vision. All in all, this robot seems like a great buy for older adults who are looking to keep living an independent lifestyle into their old age.

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