'Sympathetic' humanoids at vanguard of robot solutions to elderly care

Exoskeletons ease burden

This year's Shanghai exhibition attracted brands from 16 countries and regions, and spanned an exhibition space of 50,000 square meters, the largest in the event's 25-year history.

Some smart technologies showcased at the event have already hit the market.

They include an intelligent self-driving wheelchair developed by Ankangtong, a Shanghai-based enterprise specializing in home care products. The wheelchair is already in use in some upscale care institutions for the elderly in Shanghai, and also helped establish an industry standard via its involvement in a pilot project in Pudong New Area.

Utilizing advanced navigation systems, the wheelchair can autonomously navigate indoor and outdoor environments, offering features like obstacle avoidance and real-time fall detection. It also incorporates voice functions that are compatible with various dialects, and enables remote video calls. Such features foster independence for elderly users while allowing them to stay connected to their families at all times, Ankangtong said.

Another product with various practical applications is an exoskeleton robot developed by ULS Robotics, a high-tech enterprise founded in Shanghai in 2018. Elderly people with weak muscles can regain movement in their knees and hips by wearing an exoskeleton robot, the company said.

Ye Qing, a 75-year-old Shanghai resident, has experienced its benefits. He developed muscle atrophy and had difficulty walking after being laid up in the hospital for two months following surgery. Ye tried out the exoskeleton robot in April while ULS Robotics was cooperating with communities that have high proportions of elderly residents. The elders were given a free trial and asked to give feedback.

"After wearing the device, I felt like it was driving my legs to walk, and I could lift my legs without making much effort," Ye said. "I wasn't able to walk on the stairs before, but it made it much easier for me to go up and down the steps," he said.

The exoskeleton weighs 5 kilograms and takes around 30 seconds to put on or remove. It has already had practical application in some nursing homes.

Human caregivers who wear the device gain a "superpower" as it provides them up to 30 kg of assistance when carrying a weight, and reduces the carrying burden on them by more than 60 percent, the company said.

Xie Hongjun is a caregiver at Xiayang Subdistrict Nursing Home in Shanghai's Qingpu district. Since the exoskeleton robots began trial operations at the home in April last year, she has experienced significant relief from physical strain. Her daily routine involves taking care of six elderly people, which means helping them get up and down, turning them over in bed, and moving them around.

"I can clearly feel that the exoskeleton robot helps me reduce the burden on my waist. When I bend over, I feel like it's pushing. And when I help an elderly individual get up from a bed or chair, I feel like it's lifting them for me so I don't have to make as much effort," she said.

According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's population aged 60 and above exceeded 300 million for the first time by the end of 2024, reaching 310 million, and accounting for 22 percent of the total population. Experts predicted this number will surpass 400 million around 2035.

In January 2024, the General Office of the State Council issued a document on developing the silver economy to enhance the well-being of the elderly, elevating the silver economy to an international economic strategic level.

Shanghai, as one of the earliest and most heavily impacted cities by population aging, released a set of policy measures in December to promote high-quality innovations and upgrades of the silver economy through policy guidance and market-driven initiatives.