Older adults are lonely. As they become more socially isolated, this loneliness can obviously have negative impacts on their health. Inspired by my reading of Together, by Vivek Murthy, I went on an exploration of emerging organizations and technologies aiming to tackle the rise of loneliness in older adults. In my exploration I met ElliQ from Intuition Robotics.
Described as an empathetic care companion, ElliQ fuses together technology and psychology to improve the well-being of lonely adults in various care circumstances, inside and outside of the home.
What I find most powerful is the shape and movement of ElliQ, a rounded figure with a minimalistic design that rotates and moves in such a way that feels natural and engaging. ElliQ’s design provides a visually compelling response, one that evokes a humanistic feel and general sense of active listening.
Founded in 2016, Intuition Robotics has raised a total of $56M in funding through 7 funding rounds and is one of the 3 featured companies that have raised more than $10MM in the last 2 years to combat loneliness. Pyx Health and Wider Circle are the other two organizations with substantial funding raises tied to their efforts to combat loneliness and its corresponding health manifestations.
