| Sumario: | Issue Robots are actively being developed and designed to empower the elderly and assure their safety and well-being. Research into the demographics and requirements of such a transition from human to robotic caregiving is sorely needed. A balance needs to be found between the increased care needs of older, frail persons and their increasing needs for care and the possible support available from ADL services that are designed to provide a way for the elderly to maintain their autonomy at home despite their functional impairments. Evolution is occurring in the ratio of caregivers to those cared for that is encouraging mainstream caregivers to consider perspectives related to the development of robots designed to empower the elderly and support their well-being. The goal of this symposium is to address key issues arising from new developments in the field of robotics. Specifically, the symposium will consider the improved performance of assistive robots designed for use at home and will discuss the disruptive value of services they may offer to support end users' ADL and intermediated users. What are the individual needs and priorities that should be addressed in an evolving personal and environmental future for ends users and proxy carers? When practical ethical process are applied and respected, will the robots be acceptable, useable, useful, accessible, reliable, and how will they be controlled? The field of ethics, in general, may produce the criteria that globally define the quality of robotics used at home, to both empower the user and alleviate the burden of care. However, what economic sustainable models will allow robotic companions or assistive robots to reach mass markets? Where should the artificial intelligence reside? Robots with increased artificial intelligence and freedom for action and reaction in unexpected situations will need further serious thought and consideration; and interdisciplinary inclusive research approach is needed relate to the personal and social relationships between smarter robots, users, and caregivers, related to control, security, and freedom. Risk prevention and minimization of negative directs or side effects will need to be considered as well as defining who bears responsibility. The status of such new agents in different cultural contexts needs to be considered. Many projects funded at the European or national level have begun to deal with such issues in an effort to design future ethical robots; and the symposium's contributors are deeply involved in these activities. Content Completed projects using robots prototypes, such as companionable were analyzed. This allowed us to see the relevance of current methods and obstacles to success. We were able to assess users' needs through experimentation while taking a pragmatic approach to ethical issues. This method allowed the analysis of the difficulties of using sustainable exploitation models while attempting to reach the mass market; the system was based upon the delivery of disruptive user centric added service in the value chain, avoiding undesirable techno- pushed solutions. Presentations will include solutions designed to increase end users' involvement in the design process of empowering robots, to address the challenging issues of interoperability with smart home systems and services platforms, the detection and identification of a frail elderly person's critical situation at home and away, bringing objects to persons, integration of healthcare, and support of cognitive training and physical activity. Empowering solutions for the elderly at home will be presented. These are aimed at providing assistive functional services. Those functions are designed to prevent the need for more aggressive medical care and the associated costs as well as to provide friendly intuitive and interactive social links designed to combat the risk of social isolation, providing fun activities and networking opportunities for the elderly supported by local delivery of proxy services (P Koudelkova). Conclusion The goal of this symposium is to give the audience an overview of the strengths and challenges of Francophone opportunities linked to European cooperation in robotic research and development, how the gerontechnological approach may help further cooperation to design ethical empowering robots matching the growing needs of those ageing well at home, and the resources of new innovative technology.
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