Emma the joke-telling robot cracks up the care home: Paula Hornickel’s best photograph

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:49:48 +0200

‘The first resident that Emma – a social robot – was introduced to was called Peter. After that, Emma assumed they were all called Peter, which everyone found hilarious. Then she broke down’ One morning in July 2025, I arrived in the small, quiet town of Albershausen in south-west Germany. It has only around 4,000 inhabitants. I went to visit a care home where they were piloting a social robot named Emma. A group of residents sat in a circle while Emma stood in the middle. She’s the height of a toddler, with big googly eyes, and was wearing a red hat knitted for her by one of the careworkers. The first resident she was introduced to was called Peter and, after he introduced himself, Emma assumed they were all called Peter, which everyone found hilarious. Then Emma broke down suddenly and the illusion was shattered. Later on, Emma was working again, and I found her in the dining room with Waltraud, the resident in this photo. It was a calmer, more focused moment. I decided to sit them across from one another at eye level, Waltraud facing Emma. There was a soft light in the room and they both seemed very present with one another. There are also paradoxes in the picture: the large windows showing the landscape outside, contrasting with the inside, which is ordered and clinical. In the middle you have an encounter between an elderly woman and a machine designed for companionship. They began speaking about picking flowers, about their favourite flowers – Waltraud is passionate about them, and Emma has an endless amount of knowledge due to her artificial intelligence. She can remember past conversations and recognise faces, too.