LI SHIGONG

Videos of humanoid elderly care robots are going viral on social media, with the robots assisting elderly people with stairs, reminding them to take their medication and eat meals, and recognizing human facial expressions to provide appropriate responses.

In 2024, the number of people aged 65 and above in China surpassed 220 million, accounting for 15.6 percent of the country's total population. It is estimated that by 2030, the number of elderly people in China who are disabled or partially disabled will reach 100 million.

The increasingly heavy burden of elderly care, particularly the prominent challenge of accessing long-term care, poses a big hurdle to traditional family-based and community-based elderly care models. Additionally, the elderly care service sector is still grappling with inadequate service standards, uneven regional distribution, a shortage of qualified personnel and other challenges. The confluence of these issues has exacerbated elderly care anxieties throughout Chinese society. The arrival of humanoid elderly care robots seems to have provided a potential solution for swiftly overcoming these challenges. But still, several challenges need to be overcome before these robots can be widely and effectively used.

Lu Yi (Nanfang Daily): In big cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, some companies have been working on the development of elderly care robots for many years. Today, an explosive growth in the robot market is expected, with a wide variety of exoskeleton robots and butler-style companion robots emerging. Recently, an international standard for elderly care robots, spearheaded by China, was officially released, signaling that the elderly care robot sector is evolving from conceptual exploration to standardized development.

Elderly care robots currently face several key challenges that must be addressed. The first relates to technology. While competent in simple and repetitive tasks, substantial advancements are still required in areas such as autonomous decision-making in complex environments, environmental awareness, natural human-robot interaction, and the ability to understand and respond to human emotions. The second is a challenge in market penetration. Compared with other smart assistive devices, humanoid robots are still considered a "luxury item." In this regard, lowering the price is critical to tapping into the immense market potential. Furthermore, privacy and ethical concerns should be addressed.

It is anticipated that through collaborative efforts, elderly care robots will become an integral part of ordinary households in the near future, helping to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of senior citizens.

Li Zhiyao (People's Daily): Nowadays, robots of different sizes and shapes provide a wide range of support, like assisting with daily tasks, monitoring health metrics, aiding in rehabilitation and offering valuable emotional support.

The growing trend is for robots with greater abilities and more advanced intelligence, especially humanoid robots, to provide in-home care for the elderly. To support this, multiple local governments have created dedicated funds for technological development. In addition to policy support, the development of AI technology in China is also inspiring confidence. The development of elderly care robots is now ripe with opportunity due to the convergence of favorable factors: thriving new technologies like 5G, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and big data, along with the increasingly well-developed crucial components like AI chips, sensors and servo motors. The multifaceted demands of in-home elder care, coupled with the vast consumer potential within the silver economy, offer a robust basis for the development and exploration of related products and services.

To fully serve the elderly, humanoid robots still need to achieve higher levels of precision in their caregiving movements, offer more nuanced emotional interaction, respond more effectively to unexpected situations, and more rigorously protect data privacy and security. Backstopped by policy support, technological advancements and a genuine need from the population, the day that robot-assisted elderly care is widely used is not far away.