79% of Indians would adopt a ‘robot nanny’ to help care for children while working from home: IEEE Survey

IEEE, unveiled “Generation AI 2020: Health, Wellness and Technology in a Post-COVID World.” According to the survey, more than three-quarters (79%) of parents in India agree that if they had the means, they would adopt a robot “nanny” to help take care of their children while working remotely from home, running errands or when otherwise occupied.  A majority (66%) of parents globally agree they would adopt a robot “nanny” to help care for their children.

This global study reveals the confidence Millennial parents with Generation Alpha children (under 11 years-old) in the U.S., U.K., India, China and Brazil may have in AI and emerging technologies for the health and wellness of their families.

Parents Welcome Robot Help with Child Care and Homework

The pandemic has created stressful challenges for families, with parents working, managing their children’s online learning and daily household needs. Meanwhile, AI is giving life to physically moving, walking and talking robots becoming more adept at conveying affection and compassion.

More than three-quarters (81%) of parents in India agree that having a robot nanny to help their children do their homework would alleviate a significant amount of their COVID-19-related stress. More than half of American parents agree (54%) while among U.K. parents, over two-thirds (68%) agree. Nearly three-quarters of parents in Brazil (73%) agree and more than three-quarters of parents in China (81%) agree.

Would parents leave their children home alone with a robot nanny? More than three-quarters of parents in India (76%) surveyed agree they would trust a full-time nanny robot to help take care of their children even if they are not home, while slightly more than half of parents in Brazil (51%) and the U.K. (54%) agree. Only 37% of American parents surveyed agree, while in China 80% agreed.

Over two-thirds parents in India (64%) agree they would be comfortable using a robot nanny to take care of their infant or toddler child (under two years-old). More than half of parents in the U.K. (55%) agree, while slightly less than half of parents in Brazil (48%) agree. Only 37% of American parents surveyed agree, while 69% in China agreed.

Robot Surgery for Children and Chatbot Diagnoses

Surgical robots powered by artificial intelligence are bringing new innovations and accuracy to the operating room. Globally, a majority of Millennial parents are extremely (29%) or very (31%) likely to allow robots powered by AI to conduct surgery on their child. Parents in India are extremely likely (39%) and very likely (25%), to allow robotic surgery on their child. Though parents in China are very (63%) and extremely (26%) likely, 41% of American parents say they are not likely at all to allow it. In addition, 64% of those surveyed globally say they would be extremely or very likely to chat online with an AI and speech recognition-powered chatbot to diagnose their sick child.

Telehealth and AI-Powered Nurses for Kids

Telehealth, AI and remote monitoring tools are helping nursing expand care beyond in-person bedside monitoring creating a practically virtual nurse. About half of parents globally in 2020 (54%) are extremely or very comfortable leaving their child in the care of an AI-powered virtual nurse during a hospital stay.  Parents’ sentiment regarding leaving their child with an AI virtual nurse varies across countries: 69% of parents in India are extremely or very comfortable; 71% of parents in China are extremely or very comfortable; 52% of parents in the U.K. are extremely or very comfortable; 50% of parents in Brazil are extremely or very comfortable, while just 29% of American parents are extremely or very comfortable.

3D Printed Heart Implants for Children

During the pandemic, 3D printing has been used to innovatively create personal protective equipment, medical devices and testing. Researchers are also using 3D printing technologies to develop organs, including hearts that use human cells, collagen and biological molecules, since human donor organ availability can mean the difference between life and death.

• Nearly two in three (63%) Millennial parents globally are at least very comfortable with allowing a properly tested/fully functional 3D printed heart to be implanted in their child if needed, though about one in 10 (11%) are not comfortable at all.
• More than one quarter parents in India (38%) are extremely comfortable and (36%) very comfortable with allowing a 3D printed heart to be implanted in their child.

Robots, Disinfecting, Social Distancing and Dining

Self-driving cleaning robots have also been deployed during the pandemic for various tasks, from disinfecting areas using ultraviolet lights and scrubbing floors, helping to maintain safe environments for essential workers and the public.

A majority of those surveyed globally (89%) have at least some trust in robots to clean or sanitize public spaces such as a transportation center, movie theater, restaurant or school, before entering to ensure it is safe, with 44% having complete trust. In India, more than half (58%) of those surveyed say they have complete trust in robots for cleaning and sanitization purposes in a public space.

Across countries, 71% agree they would not visit venues such as theaters until there is a wide distribution of an effective vaccine. Those in India are most likely to agree (83%) that they will not visit venues such as theaters until there is wide distribution of an effective vaccine. Those in the U.S. are least likely to agree (63%).

To foster health and safety, talking autonomous robots working alongside human waitstaff are being used in some restaurants to detect and monitor how far apart guests are and when needed, telling them to maintain social distance and stay six feet apart. Notably, 48% of those surveyed globally say they strongly agree that they are likely to listen to a human restaurant worker who tells them to socially distance, and 41% strongly agree that they are likely to listen to a robot.

Virtual Reality Visitation — Today and Tomorrow

Around the world COVID-19 suspended many person-to-person interactions, though Virtual Reality (VR) technology visiting systems that create photographic and realistic real-time simulations of meeting in-person have been used in COVID-19 isolation wards, allowing people to virtually visit sick family members. Knowing VR visitation technology may be more widely used in many ways in the future, such as nursing homes and intensive care units, a majority of those surveyed globally (85%) say they would use a VR visiting system while 8% would only visit in person. More than three-quarters of people surveyed in India (81%) say they would use a VR visiting system while 14% would only visit in person.