Elderly Koreans are being given "robot grandchildren" to help them cope with loneliness.
In South Korea, where the population is rapidly aging and complete loneliness is pushing pensioners to suicide, the country is trying to cope with this difficult crisis with the help of an unexpected tool - "robo-grandchild." CNN introduces the details.
Every day in South Korea, about 10 elderly people commit suicide. The country is also aging very rapidly: there are more than 10 million people aged 65+, which is already about a fifth of the population. The social system has not been able to adapt to such a pace.
Another significant change has been added — the rapid economic transformation has destroyed the traditional family structure. If earlier generations lived together, now every third Korean pensioner lives alone. Loneliness, financial difficulties and feeling like a burden for children lead to deep depression.
Technologies instead of family
To solve the problem of social worker shortages, authorities have turned to technology. Hyodol has developed a "smart" robot doll designed for lonely elderly people.
The device is connected to a special app on the phone and a web monitoring platform for family members or caregivers. It performs two functions.
Firstly, it provides practical assistance: reminds to take medication, tracks activity and can send an alarm signal to relatives or social services via a mobile app.
Emotional support is equally important. The robot, which looks like a soft toy 40-50 cm tall, reacts to touch and voice. It speaks in the tone of a seven-year-old child, plays music, offers light cognitive exercises. A special feature is a warm greeting when the owner returns home, like "Grandma, I've been waiting for you all day."
As of November 2025, more than 12,000 such robots have been distributed in South Korea through state and municipal programs. About another thousand were purchased by families on their own. The latest model costs about $880.
The company's management emphasizes that Hyodol's main strength is in the specially childish and cute design: it is easier for a pensioner to accept as something of their own what resembles a grandchild, rather than a gadget.
Social workers tell stories of how robots literally saved lives. One woman, who lived on the 11th floor and was thinking about suicide, felt relief and attachment to the "electronic grandson" after the robot appeared.
Studies show that users experience reduced levels of depression and improved cognitive abilities. Many elderly people give the robots affectionate names, buy them baby clothes and put them to bed, which helps them feel needed.
Ethical issues and alternatives
However, not everything is so clear-cut. Ethics experts are concerned that the use of child-like dolls can lead to infantilization of the elderly and excessive emotional dependence. There was a case when a woman named the robot after her deceased daughter and completely isolated herself from the real world.
The manufacturing company itself calls the doll not a substitute for human care, but an auxiliary tool. It is most suitable for very elderly people (the average age of users is about 82 years), who are more likely to suffer from loneliness and have less energy for wide contacts. More independent pensioners sometimes perceive the doll as "noisy" and "annoying."
In neighboring Japan, which is also a leader in robotics, a different approach is popular. There, they use the PARO robot seal. It doesn't talk, but reacts to touch and sounds like a "therapeutic animal." This form is perceived less intimately and does not create the illusion of a person, but it still soothes. PARO helps people with dementia, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; today this robot is used in dozens of countries around the world.
As the publication notes, regardless of whether it is a talking Korean "grandson" or a quiet Japanese seal, artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of old age in the modern world, offering a technological solution for a very human problem — loneliness. The global market for robots for elderly care is growing rapidly and is projected to reach $7.7 billion by 2030.
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