At a university laboratory in Tokyo, a life-size robot leans over a man lying on his back.
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The machine gently puts one hand on the man’s knee and the other on his shoulder and rolls him slowly onto his side.
The AI-driven Robot for Embrace and Care (AIREC) was designed by a team of researchers at Waseda University to carry out tasks such as changing diapers or performing movements to prevent sores among bedridden elderly people or patients in critical care.
Japan’s shrinking working-age population has led to a severe shortage of workers to care for the elderly, and robots using artificial intelligence (AI) are seen as part of the solution to the problem.