A “smart elderly care center” using robots and artificial intelligence (AI) equipment has opened in Beijing, China, for the first time in the world.
The Global Times, an English-language newspaper affiliated with the People’s Daily, a newspaper of the Communist Party of China, reported that a smart elderly care center has been opened in Beijing’s Economic and Technological Development Zone, which introduced 40 types of robot products developed by 24 companies.
The center is about 1,100 square meters and operates in the form of a combination of three functions: basic care services, robot application, and improvement of the elderly-friendly environment, and the average number of users per day is about 300.
According to reports, when users order meals with a smart system on the first floor of the center, a cooking robot makes food, and a serving robot delivers food between tables.
Companion and education robots for infants and toddlers are also deployed on the other floor, and an integrated service model between generations is also being attempted.
Rehabilitation, health monitoring, and daily care functions are gathered on the third floor. Massage robots and moxibustion treatment robots provide treatment, and diagnostic equipment checks health conditions.
The oriental medicine massage robot was developed by Beijing Vision chic (VSEEK) AI technology company.
The robot identifies the location of the human body based on the acupuncture database and provides 15 treatment programs, the company’s CEO, Shajing said. “The equipment has undergone safety tests, including human testing, and has been in actual operation since February.”
A contactless AI health monitoring system developed by Beijing Yao Yan AI was also introduced at the site.
The device analyzes facial blood flow with a camera to evaluate more than 50 health indicators, including sleep conditions, anemia risks, and blood oxygen levels, and can also be used for early screening of Alzheimer’s disease, the Global Times reported.
Meanwhile, more than 300 robot companies are currently located in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, where the center is located, and the industrial scale is reported to exceed 10 billion yuan (about 2.1726 trillion won).
Local authorities plan to build more than 10 smart complexes in this development zone by 2027 and foster 100 specialized AI models and 1,000 core AI companies.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
