A South Korean manufacturer which claims to develop the world's first AI-powered doll companion for seniors has recently registered its product in the United States. 

Hyodol has recently announced that its AI companion doll of the same name has been registered as a medical device with the US Food and Drug Administration. 

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

Hyodol describes its doll, first released in 2019, as a companion who appears and speaks like a seven-year-old grandchild. This robotic companion, equipped with various motion detection and touch sensors, provides emotional, safety, and emergency care support, customised based on data collected round the clock in near real-time.

The doll can provide personalised, free-flowing conversation with users, powered by generative AI and speech-to-text and text-to-speech AI. 

Through AI, Hyodol also provides regular meal and medication management and administers simple cognitive tests through quizzes, songs and other interactive modes.  

In cases of emergency, the doll directly connects and alerts a 24/7 healthcare centre. Additionally, it can be linked to smart devices used within a house. 

For healthcare providers, Hyodol offers a mobile app and web-based platform for monitoring the condition of multiple users.

WHY IT MATTERS

Alongside this FDA announcement, Hyodol CEO Jihee Kim shares that it targets commercial export to North America next year. "I am glad that the performance and safety of the care robot Hyodol have been proven through [this] FDA approval," she said in a statement.

South Korea is expected to become a super-ageing society by next year with more than a fifth of its population projected to make up citizens aged 65 and above. The government has identified loneliness, alongside dementia, as a pressing social concern, due to the associated rise in cases of neurocognitive disorders, lonely deaths, and suicide among the elderly. 

THE LARGER TREND

Hyodol is also included in the second round of a government pilot project delivering companion robots to solo-living elders across South Korea, helping alleviate loneliness. The Korean government targets to deploy 50 additional units of AI-powered companion robots; so far, 430 units have been rolled out since the first round last year. 

Meanwhile, in Australia, a human-robot companion dubbed Abi, developed by local startup Andromeda Robotics, is now being trialled in residential aged care facilities. The robot, which also holds conversations with users powered by generative AI, is being promoted as a complement to the aged care workforce, which faces around 100,000 shortfalls by the end of the decade.