broad potential for caregiving robots, in anticipation of future technological advances. Therefore, we asked the monitors about their level of interest in caregiving robots after defining an caregiving robot as “a robot that functions to help caregivers with toileting (attending the care-recipient while toileting, changing diapers, etc.), with bathing (attending the care-recipient while bathing, washing the care-recipient, etc.), with meals (preparing meals and assisting the care-recipient during meals), and with movement (assisting the care-recipient when moving from a wheelchair to a bed, toilet, bathtub, or chair), thereby reducing the caregivers’ workload, and that functions to inform caregiving service facilities about the care-recipient’s health status via the Internet.”

When the respondents were asked about their intention to use caregiving robots assuming that they were the caregiver to a family member, over 60 percent (63.3 percent) replied that they had an intention to use (total of respondents who answered “would like to use” and “would consider using”) (Figure 4-1-3-1).

## (2) Intention to use communication robots

The development of communication robots has moved forward with advances in artificial intelligence, and these robots can now hold conversations, dance or exercise with people, and be partners in quizzes and games. There are hopes that communicating with robots will stimulate people's brains and, thus, have a preventative effect against dementia and that exercising moderately with robots will ward off muscle atrophy and emaciation and keep people from becoming bedridden. It is also possible for communication robots to act as pets for people who live in places where pets are forbidden. The survey asked the monitors about their intention to use such communication robots.

Close to half of the respondents (46.2 percent) replied that they had an intention to use communication robots (total of respondents who answered “would like to use” and “would consider using”), a figure lower than that for caregiving robots (Figure 4-1-3-2).

## (3) Intention to use robots to assist child-raising

Another envisioned future application of robots is assisting child-raising. Robots are expected to lessen some of the child-raising burden by talking and playing with children and watching over them for short periods of time. Furthermore, robots can constantly monitor a child's situation and, thus, potentially improve child safety. Robots may also be equipped with functions to check children's health conditions, such as detecting when a child starts to develop a fever. In the survey, we asked the monitors about their intention to use such robots to assist child-raising.

Only about 30 percent of the respondents replied that they had an intention to use robots to assist child-raising (total of respondents who answered “would like to use” and “would consider using”). Compared to caregiving robots and communication robots, these robots have the lowest intention to use at the present time (Figure 4-1-3-3).

Figure 4-1-3-1 Intention to use caregiving robots (respondent as caregiver)

(Source) “Study Report on People’s Attitudes toward New ICT Services and Technologies that Resolve Social Issues,” MIC (2015)

Figure 4-1-3-2 Intention to use communication robots

(Source) "Study Report on People's Attitudes toward New ICT Services and Technologies that Resolve Social Issues," MIC (2015)

Figure 4-1-3-3 Intention to use robots to assist child-raising

(Source) "Study Report on People's Attitudes toward New ICT Services and Technologies that Resolve Social Issues," MIC (2015)