Japan to Create More User-Friendly Elderly Care Robots From: Robotics Trends - 11/20/2015 The Japanese government said some of the elderly care robots built have been too large and too expensive. Japan is well-known for its development of elderly care robots, but apparently its own government hasn’t been very impressed. The problem, according to the Japanese government, is that the "companies developing the robots did not sufficiently incorporate the opinions of relevant people, some of their products were too large or too expensive and consequently not used." To fix this, according to ASIAONE, the government is building 10 development centers throughout Japan that will be run by “development support coordinators” who have experience in both nursing care and robotics technologies. At these facilities, nursing care workers and the elderly will be able to share their thoughts on how these patient care robots should work. The Japanese government said this will promote the development of user-friendly robots that "meet people's actual needs." These robots will be designed to help elderly people live independently and reduce the burden on caregivers, by providing mobility and toilet assistance and helping with lifting and bathing. Read the entire article at: http://www.roboticstrends.com/article/japan_to_create_more_user_friendly_elderly_care_robots Links: Japan govt to urge nursing care robot development http://news.asiaone.com/news/science-and-tech/japan-govt-urge-nursing-care-robot-development RoboCoach Robot Trainer Personalizing Elderly Workouts http://www.roboticstrends.com/article/robocoach_robot_trainer_personalizing_elderly_workouts/health_sports