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Home >> China >> Article
Robots help elderly in nursing home
From:Xinhua  |  2016-05-23 14:03

Elderly people may forget things, but robots never do. In the Hangzhou City Social Welfare Center in East China's Zhejiang province, five robots remind 1,300 seniors when to take their medicines.
"The average age of these seniors is more than 84," Zhao Huming, deputy-director of the center, tells Xinhua.
"They often forget to take their medicines, or they take more than what is prescribed."
The robots are programmed to "remember" medication schedules for the seniors and nursing home workers. They send messages to remind the seniors when it is time to take the pills.
"They make our work a lot easier," says Zhao.
"Robots can also help save on human resources and improve service in the senior care sector," Zhao adds.
"Both elderly people and nursing home workers can benefit."

The robots were developed by Woosiyuan Telecom Technology Co Ltd and are currently undergoing trials.The "A-Tie" robots, whose name means "iron" in Chinese, are 0.8 meters tall and weigh 15 kilograms. They have round bodies and heads sprouting two antennae.
The robots are controlled by a mobile phone app or touch screens, and they can do much more than remind patients to take their medicines.They can also be used for video calls, virtual consultations and watching TV.
Chen Wei, a marketing manager with Woosiyuan, says that the company spent three years developing the robots."Following the trials, we will make some improvements," he says.
The company also plans to upgrade the robots to perform new functions, such as inspections and holding conversations with people.

China had 222 million people over 60 as of the end of last year, accounting for 16.1 percent of the country's population, says Civil Affairs Vice-Minister Gao Xiaobing.
Meanwhile, China hopes to sell more than 30 billion yuan ($4.60 billion) worth of robots by 2020 amid surging demand in the healthcare, scientific research and domestic service sectors, according to a guideline posted on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Earlier this month, news got around that an artificial intelligence (AI) device could compete in the national college entrance exam in math in 2017.

The AI device, part of a project by the Ministry of Science and Technology, is being designed by Chengdu Zhun Xing Yun Xue Technology Co Ltd.According to the plan, the AI device will take next year's math test, usually held on June 7 every year, along with millions of Chinese students.Like its human peers, it will have to complete a 150 marks math test in two hours in a room without internet access.

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