At its recent Aging in South Florida Symposium, SoFIA announced it is partnering with ElliQ® creator Intuition Robotics, a provider of digital companion technologies backed by investors including Toyota Research Institute, AI Ventures, Samsung NEXT, and iRobot. This initiative extends the roll-out of Intuition Robotics’ Insiders Program, sourcing volunteers to pilot ElliQ® amongst its target audience.

ElliQ® encourages a connected, active and engaged lifestyle for older adults while making technology accessible and intuitive to use. Providing a friendly, intelligent and inquisitive presence, ElliQ supports users with tips and advice, responds to questions, surprises with suggestions, and becomes a solid companion through this stage of life.

 

“Researchers have found that loneliness can be as damaging to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day,” said Peter Kaldes, President and CEO of the South Florida Institute on Aging. “ElliQ® has the potential to make a real difference in maintaining the physical and mental health of older adults who are living alone. South Florida is a preview of the country’s aging demographics and we are excited to work with Intuition Robotics to facilitate this focus group.”

 

Seniors participating in the Insiders Program will have the opportunity to engage with ElliQ®, enabling such factors as installation, feature performance, and customer support to be assessed in real-life setting.

 

Candidates for the program will be older adults who are tech-forward in their outlook, live alone and who are healthy but socially isolated. Those who wish to participate in the Insider’s Program should contact SoFIA at (954) 484-7117 or info@thesofia.org for more information.