China orders trial of aged care robots that can cook, clean, and provide emotional support

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ordered extensive trials of intelligent aged care robots.

The Ministry’s announcement notes that China’s population is ageing, and families are therefore increasingly called on to care for their elders due to a shortage of aged care workers.

Beijing wants to know if robots can help, so it has called for applicants to participate in trials of mechanized carers.

The Ministry wants organizations capable of building at least 200 bots and trialing them in 20 locations. Applicants need to be Chinese companies with aged care experience, plus clean credit, environmental, and safety records.

A separate document outlines the scenarios Beijing wants bots to master, including cooking and cleaning, helping people to walk outside and over varied terrain without falling, and lifting the elderly when needed.

Robots that can help people to toilet also make the list, as do machines that ...