Robots take on new role as human health protectors

Robots take on new role as human health protectors
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 15, 2025

Robots, long associated with industrial productivity, are increasingly stepping into the role of human health protectors, as showcased at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing.

In one exhibit, visitors navigated the hall with eyes closed, led by a six-legged robotic guide dog linked to a white cane. Developed by Shanghai Jizhi Robotics, the one-meter, 20-kilogram hexapod keeps three legs on the ground for stability, avoids obstacles, and handles steps and uneven terrain for up to three hours per charge.

CEO Fang Ling explained that lidar enables autonomous navigation and traffic light recognition, while AI-equipped sensors detect the user's movement and intent through force and voice inputs, allowing gentle steering and stopping. These robots are already serving travelers in Beijing and Shanghai airports.

At the conference opening, themed "Making Robots Smarter, Making Embodied Agents More Intelligent," Qiao Hong, president of the World Robot Cooperation Organization, identified cognition, decision-making and safety as central to the future of embodied intelligent robots.

The medical sector is adopting this vision through AI-powered surgical and rehabilitation robots. In May, a 66-year-old patient with severe right knee osteoarthritis received a joint replacement in about 30 minutes with a robotic orthopedic precision assistant (ROPA) from Longwood Valley MedTech. The patient walked the same day and recovered quickly.

Founder Zhang Yiling said the ROPA builds a 3D model from scans, calculates surgical parameters, and executes with sub-millimeter accuracy. Surgeon Chen Guoqiang noted that such systems shorten procedures, reduce repetitive bone cutting, and limit blood loss.

Longwood Valley MedTech's AI-driven devices now operate in over 1,000 hospitals in more than 30 Chinese regions, serving over 100,000 patients. The 2024 Chinese surgical robot market exceeded 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), with domestic devices holding 48.9 percent, up 30 percentage points from 2020, according to Zhongyan Puhua Industry Research Institute.

In rehabilitation, Shenzhen DeyeeMed Technology's physiotherapy robots use AI for body scanning, acupoint mapping and personalized therapy plans, while their mechanical arms replicate traditional Chinese massage techniques. Beijing AI-robotics Technology Co offers exoskeleton robots with adaptive pacing for lower-limb rehabilitation.

Xu Guanghua of Xi'an Jiaotong University said medical robot applications remain in early stages but are set to expand into clinical and home healthcare, with vast market potential.