AI-Driven Robots Aim to Fill Japan’s Elderly Care Gap
TOKYO, Feb 28 – Japan, facing a critical shortage of care workers for its aging population, is increasingly looking to artificial intelligence and robotics as potential solutions. In a recent demonstration, an AI-driven robot gently assisted a man, simulating a maneuver used to change diapers or prevent bedsores, highlighting the potential of these technologies. The 150-kg (330 lb) humanoid robot, called AIREC, is a prototype designed to act as a caregiver of the future.
Professor Shigeki Sugano of Waseda University, who is leading the AIREC research with government funding, explained, “Given our highly advanced ageing society and declining births, we will be needing robots’ support for medical and elderly care, and in our daily lives.”
The country is grappling with a demographic crisis, marked by a falling birth rate and a shrinking working-age population. Japan’s baby boomer generation, born between 1947 and 1949, all turned at least 75 by the end of 2024, exacerbating the shortage of care workers. Data from Japan’s health ministry revealed that the number of babies born in 2024 fell for the ninth consecutive year, dropping by 5% to a record low of 720,988.
Shortage of Care Workers
The nursing sector is facing a severe labor shortage, with just one applicant for every 4.25 available jobs in December, compared to the national average of 1.22. While the government is seeking to fill the gap through foreign workers, only around 57,000 were employed in the sector in 2023, or less than 3% of the overall workforce. “We are barely keeping our heads above water and in 10, 15 years, the situation will be quite bleak,” said Takashi Miyamoto, a director at Zenkoukai, an operator of elderly-care facilities. “Technology is our best chance to avert that.”
Technology as a Solution
While robots have a limited application in aged care so far, Zenkoukai and other facilities are actively exploring new technologies. At one facility, a small robot assists care workers by singing songs and leading residents in exercises. Sleep sensors placed under residents’ mattresses are already being used to monitor their sleeping conditions. Sugano believes that humanoid robots, like AIREC, require advanced precision and intelligence to safely interact with humans. “Humanoid robots are being developed the world over. But they rarely come into direct contact with humans. They just do household chores or some tasks on factory floors,” he stated. “Once humans enter the picture, issues like safety and how to coordinate a robot’s moves with each individual’s spring up.”
AIREC is capable of assisting with tasks such as helping a person sit up, cook scrambled eggs, or fold laundry. Sugano anticipates that AIREC will not be ready for use in nursing-care and medical facilities until around 2030, and at a significant initial cost of no less than 10 million yen ($67,000). Takaki Ito, a care worker, is cautiously optimistic. “If we have AI-equipped robots that can grasp each care receiver’s living conditions and personal traits, there may be a future for them to directly provide nursing care,” he explained. “But I don’t think robots can understand everything about nursing care. Robots and humans working together to improve nursing care is a future I am hoping for.”
