Lifecycle: A Speculative Fiction on Healthcare Automation

Abstract

Set in the year 2036, this short story imagines the Healthcare Live-in Prognostic Robot (or HLPR). Resembling a diminutive drone, the HLPR is a nurse, nutritionist, dietician, and fitness coach all-in-one. As it follows the protagonist Sofia throughout her day-to-day life, questions are raised regarding the device's altruism as it is revealed to be owned by her insurance provider-and, consequently, empowered to rescind benefits should her own self-care routine ever lapse. Far from science fantasy, the HLPR builds on anxieties already nascent in smart home technologies, wearable medtech, and social credit systems.