On March 12, 2025, the elderly were having an interactive chat with the AI ​​big-model elderly care robot "Xiao Xi" at the Social Welfare Center of Xihu District, Hangzhou.

  Photo by Long Wei (Photo by the People)

  On April 1, 2025, at Aobo (Shandong) Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd., an engineer was debugging a nursing robot.

  Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Xulei

  In 2024, at the Tumor Proton Center of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to the School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiaotong University in Jiading District, Shanghai, staff introduced a medical robot used to restore patients' lower limbs.

  Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xiang

　　In Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, some nursing homes have bathing robots, urination and care robots, and assisted walking robots. In Chongqing, wearable exoskeleton robots help elderly people with physical dysfunction to carry out intelligent and personalized rehabilitation training; in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, the elderly care robot "Bitou Aliang" is always in charge of the elderly taking medicine, eating and resting, and can also connect a series of health management and home safety devices; in Beijing, the elderly companion robot "Xiaoli" combines a variety of functions such as agenda reminder, chatting, listening to music, checking recipes, and emergency calls, providing the elderly with all-round companionship...

　　These robots of various shapes can not only take care of the elderly’s daily life, monitor health dynamics, and assist in rehabilitation training, but also provide emotional value and bring many conveniences to the elderly’s lives.

　　In February this year, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) officially released the world's first international standard for elderly care robots (IEC63310 "Property Guidelines for Active Assisted Living Robots Used in Interconnected Home Environments"). This standard provides a benchmark for the product design, manufacturing, testing and certification of various elderly care robots based on the physiological and behavioral characteristics of the elderly. The first release of this standard specification is not only a concentrated reflection of the rapid development trend of the domestic smart elderly care industry, but also a comprehensive presentation of China's technical strength and global influence in the field of robots.

　　The top-level design of policies and the continuous breakthroughs in technology have formed a resonance, driving the industry to evolve from "mechanical substitution" to "smart symbiosis". Technology is allowing algorithms to understand the emotional needs hidden in wrinkles, and allowing codes to carry the cultural genes of filial piety and respect for the elderly. When the cold steel body meets the warm fireworks of the world, the elderly care robot is getting closer and closer to our lives.

　　Good helper for life

　　Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that as of the end of 2024, China's population over 60 years old had exceeded 300 million, accounting for 22%; of which the population over 65 years old exceeded 200 million, accounting for more than 15%. The emergence of elderly care robots is expected to reduce the burden on care of the elderly by society and families, reshape the experience of elderly care and help the elderly live with dignity.

　　In Kaiping District, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, Grandma Wang, who lives in Kaiping District, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, is paralyzed in bed and has various inconveniences in life. In order to help elderly people like Grandma Wang solve their life problems, Kaiping District has introduced an IoT health care product system of "hardware + connection + platform + application", and has installed remote callers, smart gateways and other equipment for more than 300 elderly people, realizing real-time monitoring and timely response to the elderly's life safety. Grandma Wang was deeply touched by this: "These devices make my life more convenient and safer."

　　This intelligent service-oriented elderly care robot is not only limited to family scenarios, but also plays an important role in communities and elderly care institutions. In Yanta District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, the smart platform of Rentai Elderly Care Service Center can monitor the door switch status of the elderly living alone through smart door magnets. Once, the system triggered an alarm because the door of the 71-year-old Zhang Muyun's home did not open for more than 24 hours. The staff called the elderly in time to confirm his safety.

　　In addition to intelligent security monitoring, companion AI (artificial intelligence) robots have been promoted in many nursing homes and communities across the country. These robots can not only chat with the elderly to relieve boredom, but also have entertainment and interactive functions. Some can play classic operas and old songs to allow the elderly to relive the beautiful memories of the past, and some can play chess and puzzle games with the elderly to exercise their thinking ability. They establish emotional connections with the elderly through voice interaction, expression simulation, etc., and relieve the elderly's loneliness.

　　At the Rainbow Bay Senior Welfare Home in Hongkou District, Shanghai, on a sunny early spring afternoon, the 89-year-old Teng Quan was excitedly holding his cell phone and asking, "'Little Whale', can my stock still rise?" As soon as his words came out, they immediately caused laughter around him. This is not an ordinary elderly activity room, but a vibrant and intelligent learning space. Mr. Teng and his friends are actively participating in the AI ​​big model application course hosted by Dean Deng Mingxing - they are learning how to use an artificial intelligence software called DeepSeek.

　　Deng Mingxing said: "The elderly don't remember their English names very much, but they will name the software 'Little Whale' according to the icons on their phones. In a few days, everyone has learned the basic operations, and the most common question is about health and wellness." This is not only a learning of modern technology, but also a brave attempt for the elderly to move towards digital life.

　　Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFLYTEK, believes: "A companion robot may enter the family in about three years. Robots that can care for disabled and semi-disabled elderly people are expected to enter the family in about five years."

　　In terms of fitness for the elderly, elderly care robots are providing scientific and convenient exercise solutions for the elderly. Shanghai Tianshan Road Street Senior Sports and Health Home is a typical representative of smart fitness services. A professional "gym" has been created for the elderly, and functional areas such as service consultation areas, health testing areas, equipment exercise areas, chronic disease sports intervention areas are planned, and aging-friendly fitness equipment such as chest pushing trainers, leg introversion training devices are equipped. When the elderly wear smart bracelets to exercise, the bracelet can conduct ECG monitoring in real time and place data on the intelligent monitoring screen on the wall, so that the elderly can understand their heart rate and calories consumed by exercise at any time. The operating unit will also conduct physical assessments and evaluations for the elderly, and formulate personalized "exercise prescriptions" based on muscle mass and other conditions. During exercise, the safety of exercise is ensured through an intelligent electrocardiogram monitoring system, so that the elderly in the community can enjoy a scientific and effective smart fitness model.

　　It is also the job responsibility of elderly people to eat well. The community canteen of Wuzhen Smart Elderly Care Center in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province is full of "technology style". A cute robot is responsible for delivering meals. The meal plate can automatically identify the meals and calculate the fees, reducing the waiting time for picking up meals. During the dining process, the system can also provide prompts and suggestions on the selected dishes based on the physical condition of the elderly who are dining, so as to maximize the automation of ordering.

　　These elderly care robots break the time and space restrictions of traditional elderly care services, allowing the elderly to enjoy professional and efficient safety supervision and life care in a familiar environment. With the continuous advancement of technology, elderly care robots are also continuing to upgrade, from the initial safety monitoring to diversified directions such as emotional companionship, life assistance, smart fitness, and healthy diet.

　　Medical consultation guide

　　Health issues are the main concern for the elderly, and elderly care robots equipped with modern medical technology are becoming a solid backing for protecting this concern. When AI algorithms reconstruct diagnosis and treatment accuracy, bionic machinery awakens body functions, and intelligent systems connect medical resources, the "cyber medical treatment" brought by elderly care robots allows traditional medical care to cross the boundaries of space and capabilities, and weave a warm and reliable health care protection network.

　　In Xi'an, the AI ​​moxibustion robot introduced by Huangyan Community in Beilin District can accurately locate acupoints, automatically adjust the temperature and duration, and provide effective treatment methods for the elderly suffering from periarthritis of the shoulder. This AI moxibustion robot uses the same model as the Pain Department of Grade A Hospital. It can accurately locate acupoints, automatically adjust the temperature and duration according to each person's physical condition, and standardize the implementation of various moxibustion methods. Not only does the treatment effect be significant, but it also greatly reduces the work pressure of community medical staff. The elderly can operate the robot independently through the included small remote control and enjoy professional physical therapy services easily.

　　At the First Love Nursing Home in Beilin District, rehabilitation assistance device exoskeleton robot has become the "new hope" for disabled elderly people. Du Hong, 68, has gradually atrophy of his muscles due to long-term sitting in a wheelchair, making it difficult for him to complete basic rehabilitation training. The emergence of exoskeleton robots has changed this situation. "Since I have this exoskeleton robot, I can use it for rehabilitation training and walking, which is so surprising." Du Hong said happily. Mr. Zhang, a 70-year-old man who also encountered the same experience, once suffered from cerebral infarction. With the help of the lower limb exoskeleton trainer, from basic instep hooking, leg lifting, hip flexing, to stepping training, up and down stairs, squatting on the table, etc., Mr. Zhang has gradually been able to walk in the correct posture.

　　The application of smart medical care is also reflected in the diagnosis and treatment process of hospitals. At Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, after AI medical assistant "Ren Xiaoai" officially took office, it brought great convenience to elderly patients. Citizen Li Jia used "Ren Xiaoai" for the first time when she took her mother to the hospital. She praised it: "My mother used to be nervous when she came to the hospital, afraid of going to the wrong place. Now with AI guidance, we follow the prompts of the mobile phone step by step, which is both convenient and efficient." "Ren Xiaoai" has a very powerful function. It can recommend appropriate departments based on the patient's symptoms and provide real-time navigation. After the patient completes the examination, she can also provide professional report interpretation services to help elderly patients solve various difficulties and bottlenecks in the medical treatment process, so that they will no longer be "lost" in the hospital.

　　In a Grade A hospital in Beijing, the AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment system is also playing an important role. Mr. Zhao, a retired employee, came to the hospital for screening for lung nodules. After the payment was completed, he made an appointment for the inspection time on the system through his mobile phone. The system automatically arranged the inspection items in a relatively concentrated period, avoiding repeated rushes caused by queuing on site and different inspection times. During the diagnosis and treatment process, the doctor asked Mr. Zhao about his symptoms while inputting the condition into the AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment system. After clicking the button, the system quickly connects with the national core knowledge base with a large number of cases of frequent occurrence and common diseases, and gives detailed diagnostic suggestions by extracting and analyzing the patient's historical medical record information. Doctors then conduct comprehensive evaluation based on their own clinical experience, list recommendation basis, examination suggestions, etc., which greatly improves the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis and treatment.

　　From community physiotherapy, rehabilitation in nursing homes, to hospital diagnosis and treatment, and chronic disease management, intelligent medical care is fully participating in all aspects of the elderly's medical and health, protecting the health of the elderly.

　　Improve service accuracy

　　The development of intelligent elderly care services and intelligent medical care has injected strong impetus into the elderly care robot industry, and thus promoted the vigorous development of the entire silver economy.

　　The "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Deepening the Reform and Development of Elderly Care Services" released not long ago proposed to accelerate the development and application of elderly care technology and information technology. The emergence of large models such as DeepSeek provides strong impetus for the deep integration of technology and elderly care. As an important track, elderly care robots have attracted the layout of many companies. From hardware manufacturing to service operations, the coordinated development trend of upstream and downstream of the industrial chain is obvious.

　　The "Analysis Report on the Current Situation and Future Development Trends of the Elderly Care Robot Industry from 2024 to 2029" by China Research Institute of Technology and Puhua Industry shows that the domestic elderly care robot market size has exceeded 30 billion yuan in 2024, and is expected to reach 50 billion yuan in 2025, with an annual compound growth rate of more than 30%.

　　"The current vision of elderly care robots has exploded, which is a good thing for the industry." Bi Yalei, Secretary-General of the Shenzhen Robot Association, said that at present, there is a significant demand for elderly care robots such as bathing, meal aids, and travel aids. In the future, these robots that solve the current elderly care pain points will be favored by the market.

　　At present, elderly care robots on the market can be divided into three categories according to their functions and application scenarios: one is rehabilitation robots, which function is to assist disabled elderly people in restoring their mobility, as well as walkers, walking assist robots, etc.; the second is nursing robots, which mainly provide daily care services for the elderly, such as electric nursing beds, health monitoring, emergency assistance, etc.; the third is companion robots, which include emotional interaction, entertainment companionship, home management, etc.

　　At the service operation level, medical technology companies are deeply planning to the elderly care service field. Through the "medical health supply chain + aging-friendly products" model, JD Health has continuously enriched the types of elderly care related products while consolidating the infrastructure of the medical health supply chain. There are more than 30,000 elderly care related brands on its platform, and its products cover thousands of sub-categories. In the future, we will also focus on supplementing professional products that have not yet been popularized at home care, such as bath chairs, seated showers, etc.

　　Although the elderly care robot industry has broad prospects, it also faces challenges such as high technical costs and low maturity. In terms of technology, the perception and interaction capabilities of some elderly care robots still need to be improved. For example, the humanoid robots tested in Shenzhen elderly care homes have problems such as weak language recognition and understanding ability and slow movement speed. In terms of cost, the prices of elderly care robots on the market are generally high. A smart elderly care robot with AI human-computer interactive dialogue, online medical inquiry and other functions exceeds 140,000 yuan, the unit price of high-end rehabilitation robots generally exceeds 100,000 yuan, and the average price of bathing robots ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, which discourages many families. In addition, industry standards and specifications are not yet perfect, and product quality is uneven, which has affected consumers' willingness to purchase to a certain extent.

　　In this regard, industry insiders suggest that enterprises should be encouraged to develop inclusive products, such as walkers with unit prices below 5,000 yuan; consider establishing a nursing robot rental system to lower the threshold for home use. Robots should be included in the "integrated care" system and provide collaborative services with caregivers and social workers. For example, robots should undertake basic care and human resources should focus on emotional support. In the future, the integration of AI models and Internet of Things technology will further improve service accuracy and push the silver economy to a new height. (Yang Junfeng and Lin Jiakai)

[Editor in charge: Ran Xiaoning]