Training lesson with Pepper
Society is aging, especially in Japan. By 2035, one third of the Japanese population is estimated to be 65 or older. To better care for the elderly, robots are already being used in retirement homes.
Sport after robot model
In this senior citizen facility in Tokyo, the human-like robot "Pepper" conducts a training session. With an electronic voice, he politely gives the participants instructions: "Right, left, well done!" Pepper is already used in about 500 Japanese nursing homes. He can not only lead sports groups, but also conduct simple conversations, tell jokes and recognize moods.
Playing with Aibo
Robots at the Shin-tomi retirement home also replace pets with which the elderly can interact. Here is a woman playing with the robot dog "Aibo". The caregivers use 20 different models in this elderly care facility to employ the residents.
Cuddle with Paro
This robotic seal does not just have a fluffy fur - "Paro" also makes sounds and moves when someone strokes it. The development took ten years. There are now 5000 robotic seals worldwide - 3000 of them in Japan. But "Paro" costs: 3800 dollars in Japan, in Europe 5000 euros are to be paid per piece.
From Japan to Germany
Even in Germany, Paro has been cuddly companion in geriatric care for more than ten years. The robotic seal is used in occupational therapy and is intended to stimulate dementia patients emotionally. Paro not only reacts to touch, but also to language and light. She then moves her head, blinks her eyes, or howls like a real seal.
Upgrades for your own home
Digitization in nursing also produces technologies other than robots. This baseboard can recognize the fall of a human. According to a survey by the digital association Bitkom, 76 percent of the German respondents believe that they can live independently for a longer time with the help of digitization. Almost two thirds would rather be monitored digitally at home than to go to a nursing home.
Stronger thanks robotic suit
Robots should also help the carers and assist them in carrying the residents - as the "muscle suit" does. It strengthens the nurse's power and makes it easier to raise seniors. This prevents back pain in the staff and patients can feel safer.
Running with robot help
Machines also help seniors to walk again - they provide balance and indicate where to put down their feet. Despite the many advantages, the Japanese government is confident that the robots can not replace humans, but with strength, mobility and surveillance support the caregivers and thus give them more time for other tasks.
Dehumanized care?
In Germany, there are also concerns: About half of those surveyed by Bitkom expressed the fear that nursing could be less people-oriented because of digitization and old people could be isolated. Whether or not an innovation will be successful also depends on people's acceptance. In Japan, broken robot dogs are now buried.
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