In the Japan market, chat robots, such as Pepper launched by SoftBank, are increasingly targeted for use by people suffering dementia, and Japan-based Fuji-Keizai predicted that demand for care-oriented chat robots in the Japan market will reach JPY1.7 billion (US$15.5 million) in 2021, 3.4 times the level in 2014, according to Digitimes Research.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in January 2016 predicted that 20% of people aged over 65 will be dementia patients in 2025, Digitimes Research indicated. Studies in Japan have found that chat can stimulate the brain and thereby avoid or delay the onset of dementia.
Ninnin Pepper, a software application specifically for taking care of old people with dementia, won the best award in the Pepper App Challenge 2015.
Palro launched by Fuji Soft in 2010 and Unasukikabocyan launched by Pip in 2011 are other chat robots widely adopted by elderly care centers in Japan.
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