Can robots care for us?

Introduction
Robots can perform many tasks, but they’re now being introduced in social care to operate as carers, to look after the sick and elderly. But is a robot carer able to have empathy? We’ll be discussing the positive and negative issues around this and teach some new vocabulary.

This week's question
In which year was the first commercial robot built? Was it…
a) 1944
b) 1954, or
c) 1964
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
empathy - the ability to understand how someone feels by imagining what it would be like to be in that person's situation 
physical assistance - describes helping someone by touching or feeling them 
companion - someone who is with you and keeps you company
tight - (in the context of money) there is not enough
abandoned - left alone in a place, usually forever
ethics - the study of what is morally right

Transcript