TIAGo, the robot assistant made in Spain

The semihumanoid device is programmed to help the elderly at home

     About five million Spaniards live alone and the vast majority are people over 65, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). By Autonomous Communities, those with the highest percentage of single-person households are Asturias, Castilla y León and La Rioja.

Technology has become an ally to help older people to carry out their daily tasks and monitor the day to day of the elderly. This is the summary of the Catalan project of the company PAL Robotics, which has developed a semihumanoid robot capable of giving the pills at the time it touches, monitoring vital signs and physical state, and locating the keys or the mobile.

     TIAGo, which is the name of the device, is able to accompany sick or dependent people who are notified about the time to eat. In addition, the robot is also prepared to recommend healthy dishes, carry objects and monitor the vital signs of the elderly

"The robot allows the elderly to stay longer at home" instead of having to go to a center or residence as it lengthens, on average, between 2 and 3 years the time of their autonomy, says Francesco Ferro to the EFE Agency

TIAGo is also able to detect objects previously marked with a special label, such as keys or mobile phone, and assist the person at bedtime, such as tucking her up or helping her get into bed, all of this "to preserve the dignity of the person ", explains the director of communication of PAL Robotics, Judith Viladomat.

The user can also teach the robot to develop new functions because it is "very easy to program since one of the objectives is for everyone to be able to use it", according to its creators.

The price of the robot varies between 20,000 and 60,000 euros depending on its components, but Ferro stresses that "you have to lower the price of robots so that everyone can have one at home."