By 2036, one in three people in Japan will be over the age of 65. While the nation wrestles with a shrinking labour force, the Robot Revolution Initiative was launched to expand robotics into every corner of Japanese economy and society. Circuits of Care follows anthropologist David Prendergast as he meets researchers developing and testing assistive technologies for older adults. From cybernetic walking supports to companion robots and automated sensor networks in nursing homes, older adults and care professionals share their experiences of the practical benefits these technologies bring, the problems they create and the unexpected relationships that can blossom. This presentation will include a screening of the documentary, Director’s Q&A as well as a chance to meet Dr Nanori Kodate and learn about the work of the ‘Future Technologies for Integrated Care’ network in Japan as well as the Toyota Foundation-funded international research project “Harmonisation towards the establishment of Person-centred, Robotics-aided Care System (HARP: RoCS)”.
Meeting ID: 968 8721 1565
Passcode: 248701
David Prendergast is Head of the Department of Anthropology and Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Maynooth University in Ireland. Previously David worked at Intel where he was a principal investigator at the ‘Technology Research for Independent Living Centre’ and co-founder of the ‘Intel Institute for Sustainable Connected Cities’. He has also served as Visiting Professor of Healthcare Innovation at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin. He is currently working on a book with colleagues Jamie Saris and Katja Seidel about the lives of 94 older adults in ten locations across Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Naonori Kodate is an Associate Professor in Social Policy and Social Robotics at University College Dublin and the founding Director of UCD Centre for Japanese Studies. He is also affiliated with Hokkaido University, University of Tokyo and the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS). He is the Principal Investigator of an interdisciplinary international research project ‘Harmonisation towards the establishment of Person-centred, Robotics-aided Care System (HarP:RoCS)’. He is co-editor of the book, Systems Thinking for Global Health: How can systems-thinking contribute to solving key challenges in Global Health? (OUP, 2022).
Head of the Department of Anthropology and Professor of Science, Maynooth University
David Prendergast is Head of the Department of Anthropology and Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Maynooth University in Ireland.
Associate Professor in Social Policy and Social Robotics , University College Dublin
Naonori Kodate is an Associate Professor in Social Policy and Social Robotics at University College Dublin and the founding Director of UCD Centre for Japanese Studies.
