Like the Japanese, US Researchers are working on robots to assist the elderly. But, instead of humanoid robots, researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are working on small, mobile robots that work together with a sensor laden smart home to monitor and advise elderly occupants. According to a Dallas Morning News article, "Like smart pets that never require feeding, robot will scoot from room to room to wake the homeowners in the morning, remind them to eat and send for help if someone falls." The goal is to reduce the load on institutions that care for the elderly by allowing more people to grow old at home. Doctors and other caregivers will be able to interface with the smart home's computer network to monitor the health and status of the occupants. The researchers predict the elderly will soon rely on some type of assistive technology as much we rely on cell phones today. This research is being done by Fillia Makedon of the UTA Human-Centered Computing Lab.