According to the 2022 World Population Prospects, the proportion of the global population aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 10% in 2022 to 16% by 2050. Population aging is becoming one of the most prominent social trends of the 21st century. South Korea is also projected to enter a “super-aged society” by 2025, with the number of elderly living alone and those at risk of dementia rising steadily, now accounting for more than 10% of the population aged 65 and over.
RoboCare, a leading South Korean care robotics company, aims to tackle the pressing social challenges posed by an aging population, such as a shrinking workforce, a shortage of caregivers, and escalating care costs. By utilizing humanoid robot technology, RoboCare seeks to provide emotional, mental, and physical support to ensure elderly individuals can lead safe and healthy lives, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.
In recent years, RoboCare has partnered with Orbbec to introduce a series of robots designed to address elderly care issues across various scenarios. As of 2024, RoboCare’s robots have been deployed in over 80 regions across South Korea, delivering personalized and reliable care services to the elderly.
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Group Type Robot Cognitive Training System & Gemini 335L
RoboCare has developed a group type robot cognitive training system for the elderly and individuals with mild cognitive impairment. The system aims to improve brain function through engaging and interactive courses, helping seniors activate their cognitive abilities and prevent dementia.
In a specialized cognitive training class for seniors, a group of elderly participants in South Korea sit together to take part in diverse training sessions displayed on a television screen. The robot, SILBOT, acts as a teaching assistant, interacting with the participants. The television screen is connected to an Orbbec stereo vision 3D camera Gemini 335L, which captures the participants’ movements, reactions, and positions, sending real-time instructions to the robot. Using this data, SILBOT guides the participants within a predefined grid area. The robot’s head-mounted display also shows animated “expressions,” enabling emotional interactions with the participants to ease anxiety and depression.
The Gemini 335L, equipped with Orbbec’s latest MX6800 chip, offers enhanced mobility and perception capabilities, providing SILBOT with precise visual information to guide its flexible interaction in the classroom. The camera tracks participants’ movements to ensure they are performing exercises according to the training program. With its wide-field depth perception and excellent motion compatibility, the Gemini 335L enables the system to monitor each participant’s learning progress, ensuring better engagement in the activities and facilitating professional, structured cognitive training. Results have shown that the system has achieved significant success in dementia prevention.
Orbbec Stereo Vision 3D Camera Gemini 335L
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BOMI 2 & Astra Mini Pro
RoboCare has also launched the BOMI series care robots, specifically designed for home care scenarios for the elderly and those at risk of dementia. The BOMI 2 allows users to access personalized cognitive training services without leaving their homes, while also providing “emergency call service” and “personal alarm service” features. For instance, if an elderly person falls at home, the robot can immediately issue a medical emergency call. Additionally, it can remind users to take their medication on time, helping them better manage their daily lives.
The BOMI 2 robot’s “eyes” are powered by Orbbec’s 3D structured light camera Astra Mini Pro, enabling the robot to autonomously navigate and avoid obstacles, allowing it to move freely around the home. The robot’s “eyes” can also recognize the user’s position and even their actions, such as raising a hand or clapping, and interact accordingly. BOMI 2 can respond to these interactions with 22 different “emotions” and “arm” movements, guiding users through training sessions or providing emotional support, offering personalized “care” for their daily lives.
The Astra Mini Pro is provided in a compact module form, making it easy to integrate into embedded applications, seamlessly merging with the robot BOMI 2. Powered by Orbbec’s custom chip, the Astra Mini Pro delivers high-quality depth processing and offers spatial alignment of depth and color images across multiple resolutions. It has been widely used in applications such as robotic obstacle avoidance, low-precision 3D measurement, and gesture-based interaction.
“RoboCare is a company with a strong human-centered philosophy, and we have always been committed to creating value for society through advanced humanoid robot technology,” said Mr. Jeonil Moon, the CEO, at RoboCare. “We are particularly focused on the challenges that aging societies present to individuals, especially the impact of dementia on the lives and health of the elderly. As the causes of dementia are not yet fully understood, prevention remains the most effective treatment. Our care robot solutions have shown positive results, with many elderly users experiencing significant improvements in memory, attention, and concentration. The Orbbec 3D camera provides reliable indoor operational data, enabling our robots to interact with precision. We will continue to collaborate and roll out more care robot products, driving the widespread adoption and application of smart healthcare technologies.”
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About RoboCare
Founded in October 2012, RoboCare is a South Korean company that offers foundational health, brain health, and caregiving services through robotic products and platforms. Since its inception, RoboCare has been dedicated to creating value for society and enhancing human well-being through robotic services. The company has launched a series of robots, including the SILBOT, BOMI 1, BOMI 2, and DORI, designed to improve the emotional, mental, and physical quality of life for the elderly.
