China Exclusive: Getting old with a robot?

An old Chinese adage goes: "Rear children to provide for old age." In the future, however, more people may be turning to robots for care.

Four robots are the new "nurses" at Shanghai No. 9 Elderly Happy Home, a showcase center for geriatric services and entertainment. They can chat, dance, sing, and entertain. If they are yelled at, the robots respond with: "I also have feelings."

At the end of 2014, China had 212 million people aged 60 or over -- 15.5 percent of the total population. The elderly will account for 20 percent of the population in the next decade.

The fact that people are living longer means there is a growing need for intelligent machines to supplement care work, said Dun Xiangming, associate professor at the Robotics Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

"The younger generation do not want to be caregivers," said Dun, adding that single children face a lot of responsibility with aging parents and grandparents.

"Intelligent machines will be needed," he added.

Another robot, Tami 118, can monitor vital signs and remind residents to take their medication.

"The robots are companions. They can keep old people company, while helping families monitor the health of their elderly relatives," said Wang Zhen, chairman of the board of directors at the Happy Home.

Tami and the robots at the Shanghai center are produced by Beijing firm Tami Intelligence and cost around 100,000 yuan (about 15,800 U.S. dollars) each.

"In Beijing alone, we have sold hundreds of Tami homecare robots in the past few years, but they are still a luxury," said Ding Liucheng, Tami sales manager.

These robots are customized in line with the demands of clients, Ding said.

"In the future, we plan to develop cheaper, smarter robots, as we envisage that more Chinese families and nursing homes will need them," he added.

At Yushan Nursing Home in Kunshan city, east China's Jiangsu province, "Great Robot" tries to help bed-ridden patients.

At 40 centimeters high, weighing three kilograms, the machine makes the rounds and sends images to his human nurse colleagues. It can also open doors and windows if the ward is too warm.

Its producer Ameditec Mechatronic Technology Company, also based in Kunshan, makes a wide range of service robots for use in "smart-homes".

"The robots can better function with support from smart-home facilities, such as magnetic sensors, Internet and bluetooth," said Li Chao, a sales rep with the company.

Each Great Robot costs about 8,000 yuan, and the company has sold thousands of models.

Nursing the elderly, however, may be a challenge for the robots. "Nurses need years of training, let alone a robot," said Dun Xiangming.

Industrial robots have proven to be well-functioning, efficient and cost-reducing, but nursing the elderly demands a robot that is interactive, reliable and safe," he said.

Great Robot only worked in Yushan Nursing Home for two months before it was sent back to its producer for improvement. "WiFi signal is not stable here at the institution. Our nurses, in their forties and fifties, had little education and do not know how to handle a robot," said a nurse Xiao, over the phone.

A businessman, Wu, bought a Tami robot for his 86-year-old grandfather for 75,000 yuan. "He monitors his blood pressure with the robot, and it reminds him to rest," he said.

"But my grandpa has difficulty operating the machine. Now it has become a toy for my daughter," said Wu, in his thirties.

Most nursing robots can only perform simple, limited functions, said Dun Xiangming.

"Many Chinese firms are enthusiastic about developing robot nurses," said Dun.

"Technology will develop in the coming decades. With breakthroughs in cognitive and computing science, we will see smarter robots," Dun said. Endi