Published: 10:43am, 26 Oct, 2015 Updated: 5:34pm, 18 Mar, 2016
According to the World Health Organisation, 22% of the world's population will be above 60 years old by 2050, leading scientists to create new robots that can help assist the elderly. Companies which are leading the development include: Toyota, who are accelerating the development of its GiraffPlus; Sumitomo Riko, who has developed an experimental nursing care robot, called Robear, that can carry patients from a bed to a wheel chair; the Human Support Robot Robot that works in sync with smart home technology, such as environment sensors, to identify where the patient may be and can report falls and health readings; the Care-O-bot, a German made robot that can remind an elderly person of important appointments, when to take their medication and report an emergency; and the Anchor Robotics Personalised Assisted Living (ARPAL) robot, that can feed back a patient's data and habits in order to devise a care system adapted to their individual lifestyles.