摘要：Global Times-Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission officially released the world's first international standard
Global Times-Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission officially released the world's first international standard for elderly care robots, led by China. Some argue that with the standard's implementation, the era of "robotic elderly care" has arrived. During this year's two sessions, National People's Congress deputies and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee members actively offered their suggestions for the development of this cutting-edge technology and the emerging industry.
最近，由中国牵头，国际电工委员会正式发布了全球首个养老机器人国际标准。一些人认为，随着该标准的实施，“机器人养老”时代已经到来。在今年的两会期间，全国人大代表和全国政协委员们积极为这一前沿技术和新兴产业的发展建言献策。
Global Times reporters recently interviewed three CPPCC National Committee members. They believe that 2025 will be the "year of application" for robots in elderly care settings, with ward-inspection robots likely to be among the first deployed, and China's leadership in formulating industry standards signifies that it has already gained an edge in the development of the new sector.
《环球时报》记者最近采访了三位全国政协委员。他们认为，2025年将是机器人在养老领域的“应用之年”，病房巡检机器人很可能是首批投入使用的机器人之一。中国在制定行业标准方面的主导地位表明，中国已经在这一新领域的发展中占据了优势。
"In elderly care or daily life scenarios, we mostly need robots to take over strenuous tasks, to reduce human workload, and help the elderly live more easily and happily," Zhao Xiaoguang, a CPPCC member and researcher at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times. A challenge facing many families is how to lift a 50-60 kilogram elderly onto a wheelchair and bathing them in outdoor sunlight - a task that is both important and exhausting. The significance of developing elderly care robots lies in finding better solutions for such chores.
全国政协委员、中国科学院自动化研究所研究员赵晓光在接受《环球时报》采访时表示：“在养老或日常生活场景中，我们大多需要机器人来承担繁重的任务，减轻人类的工作量，帮助老年人更轻松、快乐地生活。” 许多家庭面临的一个挑战是如何将一名体重50到60公斤的老人抬上轮椅，并带他们到户外晒太阳洗澡——这是一项既重要又累人的任务。开发养老机器人的意义就在于为这类琐事找到更好的解决方案。
In 2024, some Chinese companies introduced robots designed to assist elderly mobility. These robots can extend two mechanical arms under an elderly person's armpits - mimicking human assistance - to lift them onto a wheelchair. This model is currently in the trial phase.
2024年，一些中国公司推出了旨在辅助老年人行动的机器人。这些机器人可以在老人的腋下伸出两条机械臂——模仿人类的帮助动作——将老人抬上轮椅。这种型号目前处于试验阶段。
"In China's elderly care sector, we face the dual challenges of a shortage of care-givers as well as the rising costs. Meeting the nursing needs of disabled elderly individuals, easing the care-giving burden on families, and improving the life quality for the elderly are critical issues that need urgent resolution," said Xu Lijin, a CPPCC member and chairman and general manager of a robot development company in Wuhu, East China's Anhui Province, in an interview with the Global Times. Elderly care robots can play a role in assisting with mobility, health care, household chores, emotional companionship, and emergency calls.
全国政协委员、位于中国东部安徽省芜湖市的一家机器人开发公司的董事长兼总经理徐立金在接受《环球时报》采访时表示：“在中国的养老领域，我们面临着护理人员短缺和成本上升的双重挑战。满足失能老年人的护理需求、减轻家庭的护理负担以及提高老年人的生活质量，是亟待解决的关键问题。” 养老机器人可以在辅助行动、健康护理、家务劳动、情感陪伴和紧急呼叫等方面发挥作用。
Beyond helping disabled elderly individuals get out of bed or providing hygiene care, Zhao noted that ward-inspection robots are poised to be among the first to see widespread use. According to Zhao, the technology is now mature, and Zhao team's prototype robot is undergoing demonstration applications in nursing homes. Equipped with "eyes" to observe facial expressions and "ears" to detect breathing patterns, these robots can assess an elderly person's body condition such as breathing, heart rate without physical contact.
赵晓光指出，除了帮助失能老人起床或提供卫生护理外，病房巡检机器人有望成为首批广泛应用的机器人之一。据赵晓光介绍，这项技术目前已经成熟，他团队的原型机器人正在养老院进行示范应用。这些机器人配备了能观察面部表情的“眼睛”和能检测呼吸模式的“耳朵”，可以在不进行身体接触的情况下评估老人的呼吸、心率等身体状况。
Global Times learned from interviews that several homegrown robots are in the testing and validation phase, which are expected to be first deployed in clinics and elderly care institutions.
《环球时报》通过采访了解到，几款国产机器人正处于测试和验证阶段，预计将首先部署在诊所和养老机构。
"Starting in 2025, we'll see more and more robots applied in elderly care scenarios. They will come in various forms - helping with getting up, using bathroom, bathing, providing emotional companionship, or health monitoring," Zhao said. With the introduction of the industry standard and constant improvements in robotic capabilities, Zhao believes robots will soon demonstrate their potential in more settings.
赵晓光说：“从2025年开始，我们将看到越来越多的机器人应用于养老场景。它们会有各种形式——帮助起床、上厕所、洗澡、提供情感陪伴或进行健康监测。” 随着行业标准的出台以及机器人能力的不断提升，赵晓光相信机器人很快将在更多场景中展现出它们的潜力。
However, challenges remain. For example, can robots effectively grip and turn door handles? Can they accurately identify an elderly person's position and condition during nighttime checks in the dark? Experts say full adaptation to these environments will take some time.
然而，挑战依然存在。例如，机器人能否有效地握住并转动门把手？它们能否在黑暗中进行夜间检查时准确识别老人的位置和状况？专家表示，要完全适应这些环境还需要一些时间。
Zhang Yunquan, a CPPCC member and researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that elderly care robots are a complex integration of embodied intelligence, emotional intelligence, and human-robot collaboration, which still requires technological breakthroughs, particularly in extensive data coverage, sufficient computing power, and intelligent algorithms for human-robot collaboration and AI psychology.
全国政协委员、中国科学院计算技术研究所研究员张云泉在接受《环球时报》采访时表示，养老机器人是具身智能、情感智能和人机协作的复杂融合，这仍需要技术突破，特别是在广泛的数据覆盖、足够的计算能力以及人机协作和人工智能心理学的智能算法方面。
During the ongoing two sessions, the members interviewed by the Global Times emphasized the need to accelerate the development of elderly care robots and they put forward some specific suggestions.
在正在进行的两会期间，接受《环球时报》采访的委员们强调了加快养老机器人发展的必要性，并提出了一些具体建议。
Zhang highlighted the importance of advancing AI-driven human-computer interaction, particularly in speech recognition, human language processing, and emotion recognition for the elderly, while ensuring ethical and privacy safeguards. On the hardware side, he called for greater investment in embodied intelligence, integrated computing-storage chips, high-performance actuators, next-generation sensors, and robotic operating systems. He also suggested including elderly care robots in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's catalog for major technological equipment to qualify for policy incentives that will drive their rapid adoption.
张云泉强调了推进人工智能驱动的人机交互的重要性，特别是在针对老年人的语音识别、人类语言处理和情感识别方面，同时要确保道德和隐私保护。在硬件方面，他呼吁加大对具身智能、集成计算存储芯片、高性能执行器、下一代传感器和机器人操作系统的投资。他还建议将养老机器人纳入工业和信息化部的重大技术装备目录，以便有资格获得政策激励，推动其快速应用。
China has taken the lead in establishing the world's first international standard for elderly care robots, covering multiple aspects, including technology, functionality, and application, the Global Times learned. This standard not only sets guidelines for design and manufacturing but also outlines key functional requirements, ensuring robots can support seniors in health monitoring, emergency response, household assistance, and mobility. Emphasizing a user-centric approach, it prioritizes the real needs of the elderly.
《环球时报》了解到，中国率先制定了全球首个养老机器人国际标准，该标准涵盖了技术、功能和应用等多个方面。这个标准不仅为设计和制造设定了指导方针，还概述了关键功能要求，确保机器人能够在健康监测、应急响应、家务协助和行动辅助等方面为老年人提供支持。该标准强调以用户为中心的方法，优先考虑老年人的实际需求。
Xu noted that the lack of uniform standards has led to an uneven market, making it difficult for consumers to choose reliable products. "This new standard redefines market entry rules," Xu said. "It will improve overall product quality, boost consumer confidence, and reduce technical barriers in international trade, thus fostering greater global integration."
徐立金指出，缺乏统一的标准导致了市场参差不齐，使得消费者很难选择可靠的产品。徐立金说：“这个新标准重新定义了市场准入规则。它将提高整体产品质量，增强消费者信心，减少国际贸易中的技术壁垒，从而促进更大程度的全球融合。”
And, those businesses with outdated technology will face major challenges and risk market exit if their products fail to meet the standard, pushing them toward upgrades or transformation, Xu said. Xu also noted that industry leaders will gain a first-mover advantage, leveraging their strengths to rapidly expand market share and build up their market edge.
徐立金还表示，那些技术落后的企业，如果其产品不符合标准，将面临重大挑战并有可能退出市场，这将促使它们进行升级或转型。徐立金还指出，行业领先企业将获得先发优势，利用自身优势迅速扩大市场份额，建立市场优势。
Experts see this milestone as a sign of China's evolution from a technology adopter to a pace-setter and industry leader. "By setting the global standard, we set up the framework that others are obliged to follow," said Zhao.
专家们认为，这一里程碑标志着中国正从技术的采用者向引领者和行业领导者转变。赵晓光说：“通过制定全球标准，我们建立了一个其他人必须遵循的框架。”
来源：走进科技生活
