Watch: This ‘Robotic Smart Home’ Helps Elderly Live Independently

The robots will transform elderly people’s houses into ‘Smart’ homes.

(Photo courtesy: Ruptly/AP)

Fujita Health University Hospital showed how their latest designs for 'Robotic Smart Homes' are able to take care of Japan's rapidly aging population, in Nagoya.

The robots will transform elderly people's houses into 'Smart' homes, allowing residents to live independently and actively, the hospital said. The Fujita Health University Hospital team has so far developed a range of robots including the Human Support Robot, the Movement Support Robot and the Walking Support Robot.

Japan is the most aged society in the world, and now we are becoming much more. We want to live in on our own home, we want to realise that, and for that we should re-make our home concept. It is a Robotic Smart Home.

Eiichi Saitoh, Vice President of Fujita Health University

However, Vice President of Fujita Health University Eiichi Saitoh explained that robots that help with mobility are simply not enough as, "without communication they [the elderly] are not happy."

To overcome this problem, the University Hospital team has developed the CommuTV [Communication Television], which also offers a "human relationship."

We want people to realise that a smart home requires power – it is a robot – so we combine the home and the robot. The limitation of the smart home is the space because if the home is made for two people or one person, the robot is additional one so there is no space for robot.

Eiichi Saitoh, Vice President of Fujita Health University

(With inputs from Ruptly)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

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