Robotics serving the elderly and the handicapped [La robotica in ausilio dell'anziano e del disabile.]

Recent data collected by the Japanese government confirm that our society is destined to become a high elderly dominated society. Forecasts show that by 2010 approximately 21% of the population in countries such as France, USA and Japan will be over 65 years old. It is therefore becoming increasingly urgent to solve the problem of integration for the elderly and disable within the socioeconomic structure. The authors tackle the question of how service robots may be applied to resolve this problem. This paper presents a rapid overview of the most recent applications of robotics to the field of services for the elderly and disabled, paying particular attention to research carried out at the Laboratory of Robotics, Department of Mechanics of Milan Politecnico by Prof. S. Rovetta.