Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) When it comes to elderly care, the traditional understanding is often one of meticulous care from caregivers and bedside companionship from family members. But you might not imagine that in many places, elderly care robots have quietly entered the lives of senior citizens, becoming their "technological partners" in elder care.
In a nursing home in Shenzhen, there are over 100 elderly care robots of various sizes. The elderly chat, sing, dance, and play chess, all with robot "partners."
These aren't just decorative "fancy devices" for the elderly; in the nursing home, robots also take on many other tasks. This nursing home has over 460 residents, meaning on average, each caregiver looks after at least three residents. Now, with robot assistants, much of the workload is relieved.
A round, palm-sized robot is the nursing home's "intern," monitoring the daily activities of the elderly and acting as an "electronic doppelganger" for the caregivers.
The tech company that designed this "intern" has developed several scenarios specifically for the elderly. They've implemented numerous posture algorithms so that the robot can immediately recognize emergencies and issue emergency notifications, allowing for timely handling of unexpected situations.
This company began developing intelligent companion and safety protection robots in 2019, integrating large-scale AI models. However, the robots still haven't escaped the limitations of single-command systems, and their ability to autonomously plan and handle complex requests needs improvement. Recently, the team has been conducting more in-depth research to overcome this challenge.
As of the end of 2024, Shenzhen had 1.578 million permanent residents aged 60 and above, and this number is projected to reach 2.578 million by 2029. This young city is gradually aging. But in this city of innovation, the elderly and technology have already sparked a synergy.
93-year-old Liang Caitang spends most of her time in a wheelchair. Her nursing home houses 96 elderly residents with an average age over 86. 97% of them are moderately to severely disabled or suffering from dementia, and most are unable to stand or walk. Recently, a robotic "treasure" arrived at a nursing home—a lower limb exoskeleton robot. After its legs and feet are fixed in place, an electric seat helps the elderly woman slowly "stand." With its assistance, Liang Caitang, an elderly woman, began to stroll around the hallway.
Besides this frame-type exoskeleton robot, there is also a portable "robotic add-on." 87-year-old Li Guiying, after wearing it, can discard her cane and exercise by walking.
Both robots are from a Shenzhen-based technology company, and their products are specifically designed for people with limited lower limb mobility to train their walking. They look small but incorporate many cutting-edge technologies.
The mobility methods of some elderly people who rely entirely on wheelchairs are also changing. This year, another technology company launched a new all-terrain omnidirectional mobility robot, achieving a cross-disciplinary combination of omnidirectional mobility robot technology and wheelchairs.
As of the end of 2024, the elderly population aged 60 and above in China reached 310.31 million, accounting for 22.0% of the total population. Among them, approximately 45 million are elderly people with disabilities or dementia.
In a nursing home in Shenzhen, some elderly people with moderate to severe disabilities who are bedridden for extended periods no longer require manual intervention for their bodily functions. Instead, a "smart bodily hygiene robot" automatically handles their bodily waste disposal.
Once an elderly person defecates or urinates, the smart robot quickly senses this and initiates a cleaning process: processing, washing, drying, and deodorizing. The entire process takes only two to three minutes and effectively prevents the spread of odors.
Smart and technology-driven elderly care is becoming a key focus for many research institutions. Zhao Guoru, a researcher at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team are targeting the pain points and difficulties faced by the elderly, developing more powerful elderly care robots. Their research includes fall prevention, muscle loss and muscle gain, and intelligent rehabilitation and nursing care.
Over the past five years, his team has developed more than 10 related projects, including an instability warning device and a fall prevention gait instability robot.
In May of this year, Longgang District of Shenzhen established the nation's first Artificial Intelligence (Robotics) Agency, systematically planning the development and application of the robotics industry. As the first government-affiliated agency in China focusing on the AI and robotics industry, they are creating a "testing ground" for human-machine symbiosis.
Currently, most elderly care robots are primarily designed for institutional use. Elderly care institutions are where the elderly are most concentrated, and where care is most diverse and complex. They act as large-scale testing grounds, where robots evolve through interaction and adaptation with the elderly, while the elderly learn and adapt, experiencing the subtle changes brought about by technological progress.
Elderly care robots are redefining the technological meaning of "elderly care with support" through diverse application scenarios. The "15th Five-Year Plan" explicitly proposes "developing the silver economy" and "improving the policy mechanism for the coordinated development of elderly care services and industries."
While there is still room for improvement in terms of technological maturity, cost-effectiveness, and natural interaction of intelligent elderly care devices, the trend of technology empowering elderly care is clear and unstoppable. With continuous technological iteration and richer application scenarios, more and more reliable and user-friendly elderly care robots will eventually enter thousands of households, allowing the elderly to share the benefits of technological development and enjoy a stable happiness and dignity in the intelligent era.
