An elderly woman interacts with a robot caretaker at a nursing home in Xihu District, Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on March 7, 2025. Photo: VCG

Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission officially released the world's first international standard for elderly care robots, led by China. Some argue that with the standard's implementation, the era of "robotic elderly care" has arrived. During this year's two sessions, National People's Congress deputies and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee members actively offered their suggestions for the development of this cutting-edge technology and the emerging industry. 

Global Times reporters recently interviewed three CPPCC National Committee members. They believe that 2025 will be the "year of application" for robots in elderly care settings, with ward-inspection robots likely to be among the first deployed, and China's leadership in formulating industry standards signifies that it has already gained an edge in the development of the new sector.

Extensive application scenarios 

"In elderly care or daily life scenarios, we mostly need robots to take over strenuous tasks, to reduce human workload, and help the elderly live more easily and happily," Zhao Xiaoguang, a CPPCC member and researcher at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times. A challenge facing many families is how to lift a 50-60 kilogram elderly onto a wheelchair and bathing them in outdoor sunlight - a task that is both important and exhausting. The significance of developing elderly care robots lies in finding better solutions for such chores.

In 2024, some Chinese companies introduced robots designed to assist elderly mobility. These robots can extend two mechanical arms under an elderly person's armpits - mimicking human assistance - to lift them onto a wheelchair. This model is currently in the trial phase.

"In China's elderly care sector, we face the dual challenges of a shortage of care-givers as well as the rising costs. Meeting the nursing needs of disabled elderly individuals, easing the care-giving burden on families, and improving the life quality for the elderly are critical issues that need urgent resolution," said Xu Lijin, a CPPCC member and chairman and general manager of a robot development company in Wuhu, East China's Anhui Province, in an interview with the Global Times. Elderly care robots can play a role in assisting with mobility, health care, household chores, emotional companionship, and emergency calls.

Beyond helping disabled elderly individuals get out of bed or providing hygiene care, Zhao noted that ward-inspection robots are poised to be among the first to see widespread use. According to Zhao, the technology is now mature, and Zhao team's prototype robot is undergoing demonstration applications in nursing homes. Equipped with "eyes" to observe facial expressions and "ears" to detect breathing patterns, these robots can assess an elderly person's body condition such as breathing, heart rate without physical contact.

Global Times learned from interviews that several homegrown robots are in the testing and validation phase, which are expected to be first deployed in clinics and elderly care institutions.

"Starting in 2025, we'll see more and more robots applied in elderly care scenarios. They will come in various forms - helping with getting up, using bathroom, bathing, providing emotional companionship, or health monitoring," Zhao said. With the introduction of the industry standard and constant improvements in robotic capabilities, Zhao believes robots will soon demonstrate their potential in more settings.

However, challenges remain. For example, can robots effectively grip and turn door handles? Can they accurately identify an elderly person's position and condition during nighttime checks in the dark? Experts say full adaptation to these environments will take some time.

Zhang Yunquan, a CPPCC member and researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that elderly care robots are a complex integration of embodied intelligence, emotional intelligence, and human-robot collaboration, which still requires technological breakthroughs, particularly in extensive data coverage, sufficient computing power, and intelligent algorithms for human-robot collaboration and AI psychology.

Leadership in setting standard

During the ongoing two sessions, the members interviewed by the Global Times emphasized the need to accelerate the development of elderly care robots and they put forward some specific suggestions.

Zhang highlighted the importance of advancing AI-driven human-computer interaction, particularly in speech recognition, human language processing, and emotion recognition for the elderly, while ensuring ethical and privacy safeguards. On the hardware side, he called for greater investment in embodied intelligence, integrated computing-storage chips, high-performance actuators, next-generation sensors, and robotic operating systems. He also suggested including elderly care robots in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's catalog for major technological equipment to qualify for policy incentives that will drive their rapid adoption.

China has taken the lead in establishing the world's first international standard for elderly care robots, covering multiple aspects, including technology, functionality, and application, the Global Times learned. This standard not only sets guidelines for design and manufacturing but also outlines key functional requirements, ensuring robots can support seniors in health monitoring, emergency response, household assistance, and mobility. Emphasizing a user-centric approach, it prioritizes the real needs of the elderly.

Xu noted that the lack of uniform standards has led to an uneven market, making it difficult for consumers to choose reliable products. "This new standard redefines market entry rules," Xu said. "It will improve overall product quality, boost consumer confidence, and reduce technical barriers in international trade, thus fostering greater global integration."

And, those businesses with outdated technology will face major challenges and risk market exit if their products fail to meet the standard, pushing them toward upgrades or transformation, Xu said. Xu also noted that industry leaders will gain a first-mover advantage, leveraging their strengths to rapidly expand market share and build up their market edge.

Experts see this milestone as a sign of China's evolution from a technology adopter to a pace-setter and industry leader. "By setting the global standard, we set up the framework that others are obliged to follow," said Zhao.