Seo-gu, Jeonnam Gwangju, Honam's First Demonstration of Customized Care Robots

Operation for Three Months in Four Households Requiring Intensive Care
Support for Mobility, Excretion, and Posture Adjustment

Seo-gu, Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, is the first in the Honam region to deploy customized care robots in the homes of recipients requiring intensive care.

Seo-gu announced that it has selected four households with severe care needs in the district as participants in the "Demand-Centered Care Robot and Service Demonstration Research and Development Project," which is being conducted in collaboration with the National Rehabilitation Center under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The demonstration will take place in each household from September through November, over a period of three months.

Seo-gu, Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, has become the first in the Honam region to collaborate with the National Rehabilitation Center under the Ministry of Health and Welfare to select four households with severe care needs in the district for the "User-Centered Care Robot and Service Demonstration R&D Project." Customized care robots will be pilot-operated until November. Provided by Seo-gu, Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City

Seo-gu plans to provide each household with a robot tailored to the recipient’s physical condition, living environment, and care requirements. Rather than distributing the same type of device to all participants, the district will select equipment suited to real-life circumstances to verify the robots' effectiveness and practical use.

The devices to be deployed include excretion assistance robots, indoor mobility and transfer support robots, pressure ulcer prevention and posture adjustment robots, biometric monitoring devices, and soft wearable robots for muscle strength enhancement.

Participants will use the robots themselves during the demonstration period and evaluate their convenience and real-life usability. Seo-gu will analyze any inconveniences and suggestions for improvement identified during use, reflecting these findings in the implementation of smart home care services.

There are also plans to link the initiative with existing integrated care programs. The district envisions integrating care robots with services such as the "24-Hour Emergency Response Team," which responds to crises; "Returning Home," which supports discharged patients in returning home; and the "1,000 won Taxi," which assists the medically vulnerable with transportation.

The goal is to establish an integrated care system that supports individuals from hospital discharge to returning home, daily life assistance, crisis response, and coordination with medical institutions.

Through this project, Seo-gu will examine how care robots impact users’ daily lives and the burden on their families, and plans to expand home care services so that residents can continue living in their own communities.

Lee Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, stated, "The significance of this project lies in allowing residents to remain in their familiar homes rather than having to leave because they need care," adding, "By utilizing care robots as an additional helping hand, supplementing the efforts of family and care workers, we aim to build a Seo-gu style smart integrated care system in which residents can live safely and with dignity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.