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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.

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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

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​​​Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability in older adults worldwide. Apart from the direct physical and psychological impact on the older adult's life, the disease causes substantial social and economic impact in terms of healthcare and social cost. Dementia also leads to caregiver's burden thus affecting the whole population at large. The Well-being of Singapore Elderly study conducted in 2013 showed that 1 in 10 older adults (60 years or above) in Singapore, suffer from Dementia. Around 1 in 27 older adults had Depression and these individuals had a higher likelihood of developing Dementia. Given the falling birth rates and the rapidly aging population in Singapore, it is imperative to monitor the prevalence of Dementia and Depression in Singapore to allow effective planning and distribution of resources required to tackle this looming problem.

Thus WiSE 2021 study, conducted by Institute of Mental Health's Research Division, will provide high quality data to monitor the burden of Dementia and Depression among the elderly in Singapore to support the development of future policies that will equip the nation to tackle this public health crisis.

The study aims to:

1. Monitor the prevalence of Dementia and Depression amongst the elderly in Singapore through a population wide epidemiological study

2. Estimate caregivers' burden

3. Evaluate economic burden of the illness]

The multi-disciplinary research team is led by A/Prof Chong Siow Ann, Senior Consultant from the IMH and comprises international and local research investigators from IMH, Changi General Hospital, Ministry of Health, National University Hospital, and the King's College, London.​

This study is funded by the Ministry of Health.

The study team includes​

Principal Investigator:
Assoc. Prof. Chong Siow Ann, Institute of Mental Health
Co- Investigators:

Assoc. Prof. Mythily Subramaniam, Institute of Mental Health

Dr Chow Wai Leng, Ministry of Health

Dr Tey Su Hui Jeannie, Ministry of Health

Dr. Asharani PV Nair, Institute of Mental Health

Dr Fengyuan Yao, Institute of Mental Health

Dr. Edimansyah Abdin, Institute of Mental Health

Ms Janhavi Vaingankar, Institute of Mental Health

Dr Harish Magadi, Institute of Mental Health

Prof Martin Prince, King's College London

Prof Paul McCrone, Greenwich University, London​

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Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) 2021 study - IMH | Institute of Mental Health

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​​​Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability in older adults worldwide. Apart from the direct physical and psychological impact on the older adult's life, the disease causes substantial social and economic impact in terms of healthcare and social cost. Dementia also leads to caregiver's burden thus affecting the whole population at large.

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The Population in Brief (PIB) 2023 publication provides key updates on Singapore's population. Here's a snapshot of the key trends:

1. Overall population

Overall, Singapore's total population stood at 5.92 million as at June 2023, a 5.0% increase from June 2022. Taking into account the decline in total population in 2020 and 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the average total population growth rate over the past five years was comparable to the preceding five-year period.

The Singapore Citizen (SC) population increased by 1.6% from 3.55 million in June 2022 to 3.61 million in June 2023. The Permanent Resident (PR) population increased by 3.7% from 0.52 million in June 2022 to 0.54 million in June 2023. With the easing of travel restrictions related to COVID-19, more citizens and PRs living overseas returned to Singapore, and this was the largest contributing factor to the increases in the citizen and PR populations.

The Non-Resident (NR) population increased by 13.1% from 1.56 million in June 2022 to 1.77 million in June 2023. The increase was seen across all pass types, and the largest increase came from Work Permit Holders in the Construction, Marine Shipyard, and Process (CMP) sectors, as contractors hired more workers to catch up on projects that were delayed by COVID-19.

2. Citizen marriages

In 2022, there were 24,767 citizen marriages, a record high. The number of citizen marriages increased for the second consecutive year since 2020, when the number of marriages dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the annual average number of citizen marriages in 2018 - 2022 (22,700) remained lower than that of 2013 - 2017 (23,600).
3. Citizen births

The resident total fertility rate (TFR) reached a historic low of 1.04 in 2022.There were 30,429 citizen births in 2022, 4.0% fewer than the 31,713 citizen births in 2021. The annual average number of births in 2018 - 2022 (31,800) was also lower than that in 2013-2017 (32,700).

PIB 2023 is available here.

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2. Underscoring the importance of healthy ageing, Mr Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Officer, Health Promotion Board (HPB) said, “HPB believes that the best champions for healthy ageing are the seniors themselves and we have specially developed a new programme for active and healthy seniors to take on the role of Senior Health Ambassadors. Our Senior Health Ambassador Programme will help us build a strong community of Singapore residents who advocate healthy ageing and inspire others to lead healthy and active lives.”

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Healthier SG is a national initiative by the Ministry of Health (MOH) focusing on preventive health. Singaporeans can take proactive steps to manage their health, prevent the onset of chronic diseases and have strong support to lead healthier lifestyles.

Healthier SG offers you:

Trusted care from your family doctor for your health needs.

All rounded support to lead healthier lifestyles and see better health outcomes.

Empowerment to take charge of your own health.

One Family Clinic, Personalised Health Plan for All

We want you to have a trusted and lifelong relationship with your family doctor.

Your family doctor will work with you to develop a personalised Health Plan.

Do visit your chosen family clinic for all your care needs and discuss your health goals, including the nationally-recommended health screenings and vaccinations to go for.

An Ecosystem of Support for Better Health

The three regional health clusters - National Healthcare Group (NHG), National University Health System (NUHS) and SingHealth, are working towards developing an integrated health and social ecosystem within their region.

Partner agencies such as the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), Health Promotion Board (HPB), People's Association (PA), Sport Singapore and other social and community partners will support you with your health goals.

You have access to more physical and health-promoting activities best suited for your needs. Seniors can also approach the Active Ageing Centres for health activities and programmes recommended by their regional health clusters and their family doctor.

Key Features of Healthier SG
Still have questions?
Refer to our FAQs.

You can learn more about Healthier SG by listening to this CNA podcast.

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Healthier SG is a national initiative by the Ministry of Health (MOH) focusing on preventive health. Singaporeans can take proactive steps to manage their health, prevent the onset of chronic diseases and have strong support to lead healthier lifestyles. Healthier SG offers you: Trusted care from your family doctor for your health needs.

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Unsung Heroes: How Elder Care Leans on Singapore’s Women | Think Global Health

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Addressing the disproportionate effect of aging societies on women

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Inside Singapore's Eldercare Shortage: Who Will Care For Our Old? | Talking Point | Full Episode