Over their lifetimes, the people at Live Oak Adult Day Services in San Jose had witnessed some of the biggest technological leaps of the modern era: the arrival of television, the rise of the internet, and even Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.

Now, they were watching something else arrive.

On a recent morning at the adult day care center, a small crowd gathered as a robot called Mirokai made its way into the room. The 4-foot-tall robot played music, led trivia games, and somehow knew exactly how to hold everyone’s attention.

Most of the clients are living with mild to moderate dementia, and Mirokai had a way of bringing the space to life.

“It has brought a lot of joy,” said Izumi Yaskawa.

Yaskawa was Live Oak’s chief happiness officer — Yes, that was actually her title. She said robots like Mirokai weren’t meant to replace caregivers, but to assist them by providing entertainment and conversation, giving staff more time to focus on hands-on care.

“Ten thousand people are turning 65 every day, and we don’t have enough caregivers,” Yaskawa said.

Once the stuff of science fiction, assistive robots are beginning to show up in nursing homes and adult day care centers across the country, as facilities grapple with staffing shortages and a rapidly aging population. Industry analysts expect the global market for elder-care assistive robots to grow from $3.4 billion in 2025 to nearly $10 billion by 2033.

According to Isabelle Blanchot, the Chief Revenue Officer of Enchanted Tools, the company behind Mirokai, the robot is also being tested beyond elder care, including trials in hospital settings designed to support children undergoing cancer treatment.

“The idea is to bring staff augmentation solutions in the form of a super cute and endearing robot,” she said. 

The technology didn’t come cheap. Mirokai could cost as much as $80,000. But judging by the reaction of 94-year-old Beryl Greensmith, this little yellow robot leaves quite the impression. 

“I never thought at my age — I’m 94 — I’d ever see a robot,” Greensmith said. “It was the highlight of my life.”

And as if that weren’t enough, Mirokai had one more trick up its sleeve: a built-in sense of humor, which, apparently, leans heavily toward dad jokes.

“What do robots eat for a snack? Computer chips,” it said.

In San Francisco, there is already concern about potential impacts from rain and winds during the storms expected this week. San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management said it has been coordinating with the National Weather Service and other agencies since earlier this week to prepare for the storms.

As of Sunday night, rain started to come down hard onto San Francisco streets, where some roadways already saw minor pools of standing water.

The Department of Emergency Management is urging residents to prepare immediately by securing loose items, charging devices, and getting ready for possible power outages. Residents should also expect possible delays in transit and are advised to allot extra travel time.

Even if you’re not traveling on the roads, you may still face travel delays. At the San Francisco International Airport, the duty manager told NBC Bay Area that the airport experienced weather-related ground delays for much of the day on Sunday, and by Sunday night, the average ground delay was four hours and 14 minutes. The duty manager also said that because of the winds coming from the south, aircraft are currently directed to take off and land in a different direction than normal.

San Francisco city crews have been working through the weekend to keep leaves out of storm drains and to respond to downed trees.

In the Amazon Crocker neighborhood, one large portion of a tree came down on Drake Street following what neighbors said was several hours of light to moderate rain. Neighbors said the broken section of the tree blocked off the entire street.

San Francisco Fire crews responded shortly after and were able to clear the roadway. No people were hurt or property was damaged in this incident.

“This is one of the things that San Francisco people should be worried about: trees coming down, the drains getting full, you know — clean the drains, and just keep an eye out for each other,” said Xavier Haro, who lives right across from the tree that fell.

If you see a downed tree in San Francisco, call 311 to report it if it is not an emergency issue. If it is an emergency, call 911.

If you want hyperlocal alerts in San Francisco, you can also text your zip code to 888 777.

A spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Public Works said that sandbags will be available to residents Monday through Saturday (including on the President’s Day holiday). You can find more details here.