Pepper, a 'culturally competent' robot

Pepper, a 'culturally competent' robot

Elderly residents residing in British care homes may soon welcome a new guest: Pepper, a ''culturally competent'' robot. The machine is programmed to...

Pepper, a 'culturally competent' robot

Elderly residents residing in British care homes may soon welcome a new guest: Pepper, a ''culturally competent'' robot. The machine is programmed to learn about the residents' interests, initiate rudimentary conversations, play their favourite music, and to remind them when it's time to take their medicine. The UK has suffered from a shortage of care home employees for years. Most institutions are understaffed and, before coronavirus, the industry had at least 120,000 vacancies. While not meant to replace employees, the robot would however help to tackle an increasingly important issue: loneliness. By keeping the patient company when members of staff are not available, Pepper would improve the residents' wellbeing and increase their social interaction.

elderly/âgé - care home/maison de retraite - guest/invité; ici, pensionnaire - to remind/rappeler - shortage/pénurie - understaffed/en sous-effectif - vacancy/poste vacant - to mean, meant, meant/ici, destiner à - to tackle/s'attaquer à, résoudre - issue/problème - staff/personnel - available/disponible - to improve/améliorer - wellbeing/bien-être