Hacker News Reader

Hacker News

Comment by venomsnake | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

venomsnake

> Eventually, who's going to take care of the old, of their property, and pay their pensions?

Robots.

View on HN

That's a bet I would be willing to take. I consider it very unlikely that it's going to happen in 30 years or less.

Have you seen the latest robot from Boston Dynamics?

Here is Atlas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY

I don't think we need 30y for a real robot application for old people. This could be in less than 10 years.

It's amazing. However, I don't think the problem is Robotics, I think the problem is AI. Will robots be helping us in 20 years? Possibly. Will they still need people directing them, supervising them, and doing the more complicated tasks? I'm inclined to answer "definitely". But I'd love to be proven wrong! :)

Would you consider an exoskeleton suit to be a robot aid? It neatly circumvents the AI issues. And I imagine most people would prefer to have their youthful mobility instead of a robo-butler.

(I am dodging the other half of the question regarding who pays for it.)

That's an interesting idea, although I would still think it's quite far away (although would be much more viable if we invent better bateries/energy sources). However, this only solves part of the problem - the elderly won't need someone else to take care of them (because they'll be able to take care of themselves with their exosuits), but they still won't be able to retire (because they'll have to work - in their exosuits - to put food on the table).

Japan has a bit of a head start on this, recognizing early that it will soon have a lot of old people and not enough young people to both take care of them and keep the economy running. Honda's ASIMO is explicitly a mobility assistance robot. Osaka U. Actroids mimic human appearance. Mitsubishi's Wakamaru approaches the function of a receptionist.

So far, no robot seems even close to taking on the everyday tasks performed by low-wage nursing home employees in the US. But take a look at "Babyloid" and "Pepper". They are robots designed to socially engage with people, so they don't get lonely and depressed.

Japan's elderly may soon be conversing with chatbots more often than living people. Baby Boomers in the US had better take note.

> Japan's elderly may soon be conversing with chatbots more often than living people.

I'm not sure that makes sense - don't TV and Skype solve that problem just fine? I mean, why would old people talk to robots instead of other old people - unless they want to, that is, but then I'd guess this trend wouldn't (isn't) be limited to just old people...

I dont think robots will kind of "save" the boomers. They have already secured their path to hell.

Wait until they start "getting the savings out of the stock market" (eg to pay for robots or medicine). This wont be a "pleasent" day at all. Guess what, the stock market will collaps! There is no one buying all those stocks!(its the same with insurance. where is the insurance "invested"?)...their savings will evaporate, they dont have children or the children will be gone (to foreign nations).

Its looking grim for those ruthless, egoistic baby boomers. They just dont understand this yet.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com