Updated February 2026

The Jetsons predicted flying cars for the 21st century, and while we’re not quite there yet, their prediction about robots in the home is on the verge of coming true.

In February 2017, nearly a hundred people convened in Singapore for the MIT & Segway hackathon — Asia’s first hackathon focused on social robotics for eldercare.

But, the hackathon wasn’t located on the Southeast Asian island nation for the weather. Singapore is actually a prime example of a country with an aging population and a major lack of manpower to assist them. The task to figure out how Segway’s robot Loomo could assist their elderly and caregivers will eventually be rolled out on a global scale.

The teams asked to come up with creative solutions consisted of three developers, a healthcare professional, and a business manager — according to Engadget. The teams tackled problems like health monitoring, fall risks, and recognizing dementia. But the team that came out on top, Team Bolter, used autonomous mobility and facial recognition to transport wheelchair bound patients around facilities — freeing up much-needed manpower.

SGInnovate reports:

Their solution looks at using the Segway Robotics Platform, Loomo, to build an autonomous system for transporting elderly patients and residents at nursing homes and extended-care facilities to where they need to go. The system utilises facial recognition algorithms to identify patients, then connects with their wheelchair using a custom-designed electromagnetic coupling, allowing Loomo to move wheelchair-bound patients to and from activities such as meals and medical appointments. This autonomous system for moving patients and residents from location to location frees up manpower, enabling them to focus on more critical care and medical tasks.

Imagine all the assistance that will provide in facilities that have a serious lack of hands. And, in addition to the points above, this kind of application could mean better and more social interaction between guests — which we know is important brain stimulation for the elderly.

The second and third place teams developed helpful solutions for detecting cardiac problems as well as dementia, and OpenGov Asia reports all three teams will be given access to prototype facilities and funding to further develop their ideas and ultimately develop their own companies.

Social Robots in Singapore

While robots were developed as prototypes during the 2017 hackathon, they have since become a common feature of eldercare in Singapore. SingHealth Community Hospitals has started to rely on Dexie, a “social humanoid robot” that provides cognitive stimulation to patients with dementia. Communicating with patients in several languages, Dexie leads exercise classes, plays games, and conducts sing-alongs.

While some robots began as children’s toys, Singaporean institutions have repurposed them for eldercare. Kebbi, a smaller social robot, has been programmed to improve the well-being of seniors in Singapore’s eldercare facilities. Speaking both English and Mandarin, Kebbi tells riddles and displays trivia games on its screen.

PARO, a cuddly machine resembles a baby seal, is a therapeutic robot developed in Japan. It is designed to provide emotional support and stimulation to patients with dementia. The robot calms patients by reducing their stress and encouraging them to relax.

Elli Q — The Robot that Engages

A robotic success story for eldercare in the United States is ElliQ. First tested in the San Francisco Bay Area, ElliQ is designed to foster the independence of seniors while encouraging exercise, engaging in conversation, and monitoring a user’s health. Resembling an Alexa device more than a human or cuddly seal, ElliQ units encourage users to develop wellness goals, remind them to take their medications, and facilitate communication with family members.

The New York State Office for the Aging makes about 900 ElliQ units available to older adults. In 2023, the Office reported “a 95% reduction in loneliness and great improvement in well-being among older adults” who use ElliQ.

“We all have parents that are aging,” Intuition Robotics CEO Dor Skuler told TechCrunch. “30 percent of the population is made up of older adults. Many of them deal with loneliness and social isolation, which has a direct effect on health degradation.”

The team at Intuition Robotics explains that Ellie Q is different than the talking robots we have in our homes now, like Siri and Alexa, because she uses cognitive computing to be interactive and highly responsive.

Intuition Robotics reports that 90% of older adults prefer to age in their own home. And if their projections are right, there’s a huge application for robots within the homes of the elderly to keep them happy, independent and healthy.

(This article was updated February 2026.)