Robotics in Japan's Healthcare

"Want a Better Health Care System? Check Out Japan"

The largest group of those with caregiving needs is the aging population, which is rapidly expanding throughout the world. The oldest populations are seen in Japan, and Europe, but other, “newer” nations, such as the U.S., are rapidly catching up.

There may be no topic in robotics that generates more attention, moral concerns and controversy, than the use of caregiving robots. One of the reasons for this occurrence could be how intimate the caregiving robots are with their patient than any regular caretaker. However, nations such as Japan, facing a labor shortage of caregivers, are thankful to able to consider capable robots as a caregiving solution, and especially, an alternative to the loneliness in aging.

According to Mayo Clinic's 2016 article Robots or Robotics in Healthcare", robots such as Pepper, Robear and NAO/ZORA are "undergoing further development in the hopes that they might be practical, useful, acceptable, and safe, caregiving robots. Pepper, brings engaging human to robot interaction, NAO/ZORAis smaller, and highly mobile with elements of engagement, and Robear has the strength to lift people who have mobility issues. All of these robots are undergoing improvements, and updated iterations continue to be released. Robear is still in a research and development phase, and not in public use. Pepper is a four foot humanoid robot, produced by Softbank, that has the power to read and respond to human emotions."

Pepper is an extremely engaging robot. Pepper sold out in Japan in the first minute of going on the market on June 20, 2015. It is hoped that Pepper’s skills in robot to human interaction might improve the mental engagement and monitoring of humans, across the range of mental and emotional needs. 

ZORA’s Nao family of robots – “Nao”, “Zora”  

These robots are characterized by their small size, less than two feet tall, their impressive mobility, and remarkable appeal, likely due to their physical agility and pleasant personality. “Zora”, the latest in the family has been utilized in a variety of therapeutic settings. The Nao robot has been successfully deployed in retirement homes to lead exercise and movement programs, to provide companionship to older individuals who might be lonely, and to answer the many routine questions of the residents.

Robear is a large, bear-like robot being developed in Japan for the purposes of caregiving, specifically those needs which revolve around mobility. Robear continues to be in clinical testing but has promise in lifting and transferring patients, which is a particularly needed caregiving function.

Assist Devices for Mobility Impaired  
The Panasonic corporation has an active interest in developing solutions for the mobility impaired. Panasonic’s “Resyone” is a bed to wheelchair converter. It is also testing a self support robotic device.