"Solitary Elderly, Now Cared for by AI Devices"

Gangnam-gu Operates 1,240 AI Care Devices
"The Role Will Become Even More Important in a Super-Aged Society"

Gangnam-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) announced on the 17th that it has secured an additional 197 AI care devices for elderly people living alone this year, operating a total of 1,240 units to fully meet the demand from the existing waiting list.

A resident of Gangnam-gu is having a conversation with Chorongi. Provided by Gangnam-gu.

According to Gangnam-gu, the newly introduced devices include 37 AI speakers (NUGU), 20 companion robots named Dasomi, and 140 Chorongi units, totaling 197 devices. In particular, there was high demand for the conversational emotional robot ‘Chorongi,’ which provides emotional interaction, so the largest quantity was secured for this device in the recent procurement.

The district utilizes a total of five types of care devices to support the safety and emotional stability of the elderly. The AI speaker is a voice recognition-based intelligent speaker that monitors emergency situations, checks on well-being and safety, and supports companionship and daily convenience services.

The companion robot Dasomi enables two-way communication, providing continuous conversational functions and helping to activate both non-face-to-face and face-to-face self-help groups to foster social networks. Chorongi is an emotional conversational robot that especially helps elderly people suffering from depression by reducing feelings of sadness and providing psychological stability.

My Personal Medicine Assistant is a smart medicine storage box that offers medication reminders to help users take their medicine on time. The Internet of Things (IoT) sensor device monitors the living environment 24 hours a day through six types of sensors, including temperature, humidity, illumination, and carbon dioxide.

The district uses these AI care devices to activate self-help groups and support community formation within the area to alleviate social isolation. Additionally, by utilizing the various monitoring functions of the care devices, the safety of the elderly is checked in real time, and rapid response is planned in case of emergencies.

District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong stated, “As we enter a super-aged society, the role of AI care devices is becoming increasingly important,” and added, “We will continue to expand care services so that elderly residents can live safely and healthily, and persistently promote customized welfare policies using AI technology.”