[Photo via The Beijing News]

Population ageing is a global trend. The UN Commission on Population and Development notes that slower growth and rapid ageing of populations increase the demand for "gerontotechnology=" and robotics to support care systems. The World Health Organization further states that technologies can maintain or improve older people's functional capacities, enabling everyday activities and delaying the need for intensive long-term care; assistive technology can mitigate impairments in vision, hearing, mobility, self-care, communication and cognition, while fall- and accident-detection technologies can support older people to live safely and independently at home. In China, this global agenda is being translated into widespread practice—from community sensors to robot-staffed elderly care stations.

Safety Monitoring

[Photo via Xinhua News Agency]

In Luyang District, Hefei, Anhui Province, a government-funded program has installed door sensors and smoke detectors for more than 600 elderly people living alone, most aged 80 or above. When no door activity is detected for 24 hours or a smoke alarm is triggered, the system automatically alerts community workers and activates a three-tier response involving family members, community workers and district officials.

Health Screening and Rehabilitation

At the Shulu Community Service Center in Hefei High-tech Zone, a robot analyzes facial expressions, eye features and subtle body movements, combined with physiological signals, to conduct noninvasive mental health screening for older people. Anhui Sanlian Robot Technology's fourth-generation lower-limb exoskeleton uses AI to adapt assistance to users' movements, helping people with walking difficulties move more naturally.

Robot-Staffed Elderly Care Station

On March 12, 2026, the world's first smart wellness robot elderly care station began operating in Ronghua Subdistrict, Beijing E-Town, with about 1,100 square meters of floor space and more than 40 robotic products from 24 companies, integrating basic care, robotic applications and age-friendly upgrades. A traditional Chinese medicine massage robot equipped with an acupuncture point database identifies body positions and offers 15 treatment programs. A non-contact AI health monitoring system analyzes facial blood flow via camera to assess more than 50 health indicators, including early-stage Alzheimer's screening with accuracy above 85%. Professor Jing Huiquan of Capital Medical University stressed that humans and machines must collaborate—for example, moxibustion robots take time to start, so staff use infrared lamps to keep residents warm, a human-centered adjustment robots cannot handle alone.

From sensors in the homes of older people living alone in Hefei to the robot station in Beijing's E-Town, technology is moving from concept to everyday reality in China's elderly care. This aligns with the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030): technology should serve human functioning, dignity and well-being.

(Compiled from International Web Portal of Beijing, Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily Online, etc.)