Robots have been used in Japan to care for the elderly

The Shin-tomi sanatorium in Tokyo uses 20 different models to take care of the boarding staff. Here, robots are free to come and go.

The Japanese government wants to harness the expertise of the country's robotics sector to cope with the demographic crisis, with the ageing population growing and the workforce shrinking. In general, people think that caring for the elderly requires people to do it themselves. So, for Westerners, the idea of having robots take care of old people is shocking.

However, many Japanese think this is good, largely because the Japanese media portrayed robots are always friendly and capable. "These robots are amazing. "Kazuko Yamada, 84, said after attending a training course at SoftBank Robotics Corp Pepper. Pepper can say a predetermined dialogue. "In recent years, many people have lived alone, but robots can talk to them and make life more interesting."

"In the fast-growing road, the robots that care for the elderly still face many obstacles, such as high prices, security issues, and whether they are useful or usable."

In response, the Japanese government has been investing in caring for the elderly robot, so that 2025 years ago Japan lacked 380,000 skilled workers this crisis. Although the Japanese government has tried to make foreign workers look after the elderly, employment barriers, including Japanese exams, have not been eliminated within the industry.

At the end of 2017, only 18 foreigners received a convalescent certificate, which was issued as early as 2016.

In addition, Japanese authorities and companies are pinning their hopes on a more important trophy-a lucrative export industry that supplies robots to countries such as Germany, China and Italy, which face or face similar demographic challenges. "This is an opportunity for us," said Atsushi Yasuda, director of Robotics policy at Japan's Ministry of Economic and Trade. Other countries will also follow this trend. Last year, more than 100 foreign teams from China, South Korea and the Netherlands visited the Shin-tomi sanatorium.
Some of these products have been sold overseas: Panasonic is shipping machine beds that can turn into wheelchairs in Taiwan, and Paro has become a "therapeutic animal" in nearly 400 Danish nursing homes. The global market for minimal care for the elderly and handicapped robots is mostly sourced from Japanese manufacturers.

At present, the global market for such robots is still small-the International Robotics Federation data show that in 2016 its global market was only 19.2 million dollars. However, Japan's Ministry of Economic and Trade estimates that before 2035, the domestic robot industry will increase to 400 billion yen (3.8 billion U.S. dollars).

By then, One-third of the Japanese are elderly people over the age of 65. "This is likely to be a huge market," says George Leeson, director of the Institute of Population Aging at Oxford University. Everyone is aware of the problem of the ageing population, and it is clear that robots are one of the solutions to the problem. "To nurture the industry, the Japanese government is working on a two-pronged approach.

Since 2015, the Ministry of Economic and Trade of Japan has provided a subsidy of 4.7 billion yen (USD 45 million) to promote the development of the industry. Japan's Labor Ministry is also taking the lead in promoting the development of robots. To introduce robots into 5,000 institutions nationwide, the Japanese Labor ministry has spent 5.2 billion trillion yen (50 million dollars) by March this year.

However, there is no government data showing the number of infirmaries using robots. At the same time, government officials stress that robots will not completely replace caregivers. Yasuda, of Japan's Ministry of Economic and Trade, said: "They can use power, mobility and operability to help, but they cannot replace human beings, can only save time and human costs." If workers have more time, they can do other things.
"Is that a robot?" Most of these devices do not have the usual image of robots.

According to the government's definition, each device has three major components-sensors, central processing units, engines or equipment. Panasonic used government help to develop resyone beds. This kind of bed can be divided into two, half of which can become wheelchair use. The Cyberdyne Company's HAL, the hybrid auxiliary limb, is a powered back support system that can help the worker in the nurse. People who need to regain their walking ability can catch the tree and train.

The tree, made by unlisted Reif, can crawl on the ground, instructing the user to move on to the next step and helping users maintain a balance. In nearly 500 Japanese nursing homes, SoftBank's pepper is used for entertainment, daily exercise and initial communication. However, Shohei Fujiwara, manager of the internet group SoftBank Robotics Corp. 's SoftBank Robotics, says some workers think pepper is difficult to set.
They want Pepper to respond to voice commands and move independently-which is exactly what SoftBank wants to introduce this year.

Expensive solutions cute, furry and responsive Paro in response to the touch, conversation, and light, they move their heads, blink and play the sounds of Canadian Greenland seals. The first time I kissed it, it moved, and it was lovely, like a living seal. "Saki Sakamoto, a 79-year-old man from Shin-tomi Sanatorium, said. "Once I touched it, I put it down." Takanori Shibata, a researcher and Paro investor at the National Institute of Advanced Industry and Technology, said Paro's research and development took 10 years and received nearly 20 million dollars in government support.

Now, 5,000 Paro are being put into use globally, of which 3,000 are in Japan. But, like most robots, the price of Paro is very expensive: in Japan and Europe the price is 400,000 yen (3800 USD) and 5000 euros respectively.

In addition, Panasonic's Resyone bed is priced at 900,000 yen (8600 USD), while the Cyberdyne's HAL exoskeleton has a monthly rent of 100,000 yen (950 USD). Most robots, including Shin-tomi, use local and central government subsidies to pay for their costs.

Individuals can also use care insurance to buy government-approved products, but the number of products granted is extremely limited. So far, robots have not lowered the cost of Shin-tomi sanatorium staff or the length of their work. "We haven't come that far. "Kimiya Ishikawa, President and CEO of Silverwing Social Welfare company operating Shin-tomi Sanatorium, said. "We have introduced these robots primarily to improve the working environment, protect employees from harm and make nursing homes safer," he said. He says the Shin-tomi sanatorium is only improving the spirit of the staff and the accommodation staff: "The staff can feel the spirit of the gas set, the accommodation staff can feel dependent." ”