Residents of Auckland's Selwyn Retirement Village in Pt Chevalier will now be treated with a robot helper, a Korean YUJIN robot named Charlie, which is a part of the research which has recently begun to provide the elderly with inexpensive robotic assistants. The robot will work alongside the human staff and will be involved with tasks such as taking vital signs and giving reminders.

The robot is currently working on trail basis, and has followed a study at the University of Auckland to analyze people's attitudes towards robot helpers. While the staff has expressed some concerns over robots taking over all jobs, experts have been quick to assert that the purpose of robots is to simply alleviate staff shortages, and some tasks are best carried out by human helpers. Also, residents would never be able to relate to machines as they do to humans.

"Robotic assistants could provide a range of benefits in healthcare as the population ages, but designers must first understand older people's attitudes and expectations of robots before they can be accepted", said Dr. Bruce MacDonald, who heads the three-year HealthBots research group.

Before actually appointing a robot, residents, their families and staff at Selwyn Village were surveyed on the types of tasks that the helper would undertake, and based on the feedback, Charlie has been introduced to help the elderly.