South Korea care robots and digital apps assist seniors

As South Korea’s elderly population grows rapidly, care robots like the humanoid AI device “Riku” and interactive doll “Hyo-dol” are stepping in to assist with medication reminders, schedules, and cognitive exercises, health.chosun.com reported on Oct. 23. These technologies aim to ease mounting pressure on care facilities and address a projected shortage of professional caregivers.

Care Robots Guide Seniors Through Daily Routines and Cognitive Exercises

At the Home Care, Rehabilitation, and Welfare Exhibition held at COEX in Seoul’s Gangnam district, the humanoid social robot Riku demonstrated its ability to recognize users’ faces and voices while responding to human speech and actions. Riku called users by name, expressed emotions through facial expressions and gestures, and guided them through medication schedules alongside proverbs quizzes, memory games, and health gymnastics. Another care device, an interactive doll named Hyo-dol, features a friendly exterior that reacts when its head or hands are touched. Hyo-dol conducts health questionnaires regarding sleep, mood, and pain, while using sensors to notify guardians if a user remains inactive for a prolonged period.

Digital Programs Target Cognitive and Physical Activity in Senior Care

Beyond physical robots, software developers are deploying digital applications to encourage senior activity. Livum showcased its senior motion game “Hâmo,” which encourages physical activity by having users follow movements shown on a screen. It measures reaction speed, concentration, coordination, and upper/lower body reactions, and calculates results as scores. Users can compare these results with previous ones in monthly reports. Meanwhile, Kiwoom Tech presented “ExerBrain,” an interactive program utilizing large screens and touch technology to stimulate memory, attention, and language skills through cognitive content and health dancing. Neoally also introduced an AI-powered augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app designed to assist elderly individuals and those with language expression difficulties in constructing natural sentences.

Long-Term Care Demand Projected to More Than Double by 2043

The institute projects that long-term care service demand will surge to more than 2.4 times 2023 levels by 2043, requiring an estimated 990,000 additional care workers just to maintain 2023 workloads per employee. A KDI survey of nursing facilities with 80 or more beds found that 89.1% of facilities agreed on the need for care robots, with 51.8% willing to adopt them if financial support is provided.

KDI Research Fellow Kwon Jung-hyun stated that the most important reason to utilize care robots is to provide better care services to users, adding that expanding support policies toward actual users and facilities rather than focusing solely on developers will be crucial for activating robot use in senior care environments.

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