Robot to help assist the elderly

A robot developed in Japan is set to revolutionise the world of caring as it is able to help in any number of tasks ‘including assisting the elderly’. The team behind the project have said that they have a dream of the robot being in every home to help with daily tasks that some mobility restricted residents may have trouble with and can even provide extra support for helping elderly residents out of their riser recliner chairs. 

With the development of robotics coming on in leaps and bounds in recent years, there has been a renewed focus on how it can be used to solve human problems such as reduced mobility. The latest design developed by Tokyo's Waseda University, named Twenty-One, could help elderly residents across the world lead a happy and independent life, with such technology being used alongside home stair lifts and other mobility aids.

“Assisting the elderly”

The new multi-purpose home care droid, Twenty-One, consists of a human-like upper body with a wheeled base and has unbelievable dexterity and mobility in order to see it carry out numerous tasks, which can be seen here. As Japan looks for solutions to its increasingly large ageing population, such inventions as the Twenty-One robot are gaining traction.

Androids are the name given to humanoid robots and it is believed that they could be the future of elderly care, which could see more elderly people remain in their own home with the assistance of such inventions. These robots are even becoming more sophisticated in their ability to recognise human emotions, a function that is paramount in the production of such inventions for elderly home care.

It is hoped that soon, with the help of such robots and mobility features such as walk in showers and baths assisting the elderly, more people will be able to continue living in their own homes.

Image Credit: Robbie Sproule (flickr.com)

This content was written by Emily Bray. Please feel free to visit my Google + profile to read more stories.