Japan. Healthcare for the ageing and elderly worldwide is turning to robots
In America and other ageing societies around the world, it has become common for the elderly to be cared for by their greying children or older workers. That’s largely because the younger labour force is shrinking, and few want to do such low-paying, back-aching work.
Japan sees an answer in robots. At Minami Tsukuba nursing home near Tokyo, caregiver Asami Konishi wears a robotic device on her hips that cuts the stress on her back when she bends and lifts someone.
“It really helps when I have to pick up a heavier male patient,” said the 34-year-old. The lumbar device and other cyborg suits made by Cyberdyne Inc can help the wearer build strength and restore mobility, like standing up and walking.
Cyberdyne’s gear works by reading bioelectric signals from the brain to the muscles, thus mimicking and supporting the movement intended. “It fuses the human and robots and information systems,” said Yoshiyuki Sankai, an engineer who founded Cyberdyne in 2004. Other bigger, more familiar Japanese firms also are developing robots to target the enfeebled and elderly.
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