Tokyo, 2 March, /AJMEDIA/
Recently in Tokyo an AI-driven robot leaned over a man lying on his back and gently put a hand on his knee and another on a shoulder and rolled him onto his side — a maneuver used to change diapers or prevent bedsores in the elderly.
The 150-kg artificial intelligence-driven humanoid robot called AIREC is a prototype future “caregiver” for Japan’s rapidly aging population and chronic shortage of aged-care workers.
“Given our highly advanced aging society and declining births, we will be needing robots’ support for medical and elderly care, and in our daily lives,” said Shigeki Sugano, the Waseda University professor leading AIREC’s research with government funding.
Japan is the world’s most advanced aging society with a falling birth rate, dwindling working-age population and restrictive immigration policies.
