Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) officially released the international standard for elderly care robots led by our country - IEC 63310 "Performance Criteria for Active Assisted Living Robots Used in Connected Home Environments." The release of this standard marks a new stage of normalization and standardization in the field of elderly care robots and is expected to attract widespread attention to the robot-related industrial chain.

This standard deeply analyzes the physiological, psychological, and behavioral characteristics of the elderly, combining the characteristics of connected home environments, and elaborates in detail on the specific needs of the elderly in daily life, health monitoring, emergency response, social communication, household assistance, entertainment and leisure, home management, care support, mobility assistance, and information and data management. Based on this, it proposes the functional classification and performance indicators for elderly care robots, providing manufacturers with clear design guidance and evaluation standards.

Specifically, elderly care robots need to have high usability, reliability, and barrier-free design to ensure that the elderly can operate them easily while maintaining low energy consumption and low noise to adapt to the home environment. In terms of health monitoring, robots need to be able to monitor the vital signs of the elderly in real-time, promptly detect abnormalities, and notify family members or medical staff. In emergencies, robots should be able to respond quickly, provide necessary assistance, or contact rescue services. In addition, robots should support a variety of household activities, entertainment projects, home management, and care services, such as assisting the elderly with shopping, cooking, cleaning, reading, listening to music, and video calls, to enrich their daily lives.

According to data from the World Health Organization, it is estimated that by 2050, the global population aged 60 and above will reach 2.1 billion, including 426 million elderly people aged 80 and above. As age increases, the elderly population will experience varying degrees of functional decline or even disability in perception, physical strength, and cognition. The emergence of elderly care robots can not only alleviate the care burden on society and families for the elderly but also support the elderly in living independently at home with dignity and high quality.

The ability for personalized customization is also one of the key points emphasized by this standard. Elderly care robots need to have the capability to be customized according to the specific needs of different elderly individuals, such as language selection, interface layout, and service preferences, thereby enhancing user experience and satisfaction. This requirement helps to promote continuous innovation and upgrading of elderly care robot technology to meet more diverse and personalized market demands.

The release of the international standard for elderly care robots undoubtedly provides clear guidance and direction for global elderly care robot manufacturers. Manufacturers can focus more precisely on the physiological and psychological characteristics and needs of the elderly based on this standard, designing and developing elderly care robot products to improve product quality. This not only helps to promote the healthy development of the elderly care robot industry but also further enhances the ability of the elderly to integrate into society, benefiting the global aging population.

In China, with the acceleration of the aging process and the improvement of residents' living standards, the market demand for elderly care robots is rapidly growing. Governments, enterprises, research institutions, and social capital are actively investing in the research and promotion of elderly care robots, striving to solve the challenges of elderly care through technological innovation and enhance the happiness and sense of gain of the elderly. According to a report released by Morgan Stanley, China's share in the humanoid robot industry chain is as high as 63%, providing a unique advantage for the development of our elderly care robot industry.

The elderly care robot industry chain can be divided into upstream core components and software system development, midstream elderly care robot body manufacturing, and downstream application markets. In the upstream hardware part, reducers, servo motors, and controllers are the three core components that make up elderly care robots; in the upstream software system development part, artificial intelligence, SLAM, operating systems, etc., constitute the software and systems of elderly care robots. In the midstream elderly care robot body manufacturing part, it mainly includes three categories: rehabilitation robots, nursing robots, and companion robots. The downstream application market covers elderly care institutions, medical institutions, and individual users.

In the future, as technology continues to mature and costs further decrease, elderly care robots will become more popular and an indispensable part of the daily lives of the elderly. At the same time, we should also realize that the introduction of technology is not a panacea; it needs to be closely integrated with humanistic care to truly achieve "technology for good." In the design and application process of elderly care robots, we should always pay attention to the subjective feelings and psychological needs of the elderly, ensuring that the use of technology can promote the physical and mental health of the elderly rather than becoming a source of isolation and loneliness.

The release of the international standard for elderly care robots is not only an affirmation of technological progress but also a positive response to the global aging challenge. It points us in the right direction and paints a hopeful blueprint for the future of elderly care services.