The claim
“Robot companions ease loneliness in older adults.”
New York's aging office said its 2023 report showed a 95% reduction in loneliness among older adults using ElliQ. NYSOFA ElliQ initiative page
Older users in New York's ElliQ program say they feel less lonely, but no controlled study we found confirms that robot companions reduce loneliness.
01The evidence
Company or forecast
Program data from 2026 for New York's ElliQ program says 94% of users report feeling less lonely and 97% report better overall wellbeing.
Company or forecast
These figures are the program's own data, released as New York signed a new three-year, $2.1 million agreement with ElliQ maker Intuition Robotics.
Independent
New York's aging office said a 2023 report showed a 95% reduction in loneliness among ElliQ users. The page does not say how this was measured.
Independent
In a randomized trial of low-cost robot pets in eight UK care homes, published in JMIR Aging, interviews and observations suggested residents took to them well and that they suited residents who felt lonely.
Independent
The trial's authors concluded the robot pets hold potential for improving the wellbeing of care home residents and people with dementia.
Company or forecast
More than 3,500 older adults applied to join New York's ElliQ program in 2025.
What we don't know. The ElliQ figures are what users told the program; we found no published controlled trial of ElliQ and loneliness. The UK robot-pet trial's main measure was dementia-related symptoms, not loneliness.