Skip to main content

Meet Robear, a Japanese robot nurse with the face of a bear

Japan has long been looking at how it might use robots to provide care for the elderly, and with a rapidly aging population, and a birth rate that continues to fall, the issue has taken on growing importance in recent years.

Enter the robotic nurse. With a bear face.

Recommended Videos

Developed by Japanese research institute Riken, the exquisitely named ‘Robear’ is the third prototype in six years, with each new version lighter and more functional.

The robot’s clunky design has apparently been shaped by the tasks required of it. Tipping the scales at 308 pounds (140 kg), Robear is strong and agile enough to gently lift a patient from a bed to a wheelchair, or help them get from a sitting position to a standing one.

The technology driving the robot allows it to “exert force in a gentle way,” Riken explains on its website. It can also move quickly and precisely, with on-board sensors ensuring it doesn’t inadvertently take down any elderly patients as it moves about its space.

人と柔らかく接しながら力仕事を行なう高機能ロボット

Robear improves on its predecessors by, for example, having a smaller base that makes it more lightweight. Stability is provided by legs that extend when lifting a patient. When retracted, the base is small enough to allow it to maneuver through tight spaces such as doorways.

As for its cute bear face, research leader Toshiharu Mukai says, “The polar cub-like look is aimed at radiating an atmosphere of strength, geniality and cleanliness at the same time.”

Mukai said he hopes Robear will “lead to advances in nursing care, relieving the burden on care-givers today. We intend to continue with research toward more practical robots capable of providing powerful yet gentle care to elderly people.”

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Guinness video celebrates robotic record-breakers
A troupe of dancing robots.

Robots Are Taking Over Record-Breaking - Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records has put together a video featuring robots performing amazing feats.

Read more
Robot crushes man to death after mistaking him for a box
A smart factory concept.

A robot crushed a man to death after apparently mistaking him for a box, South Korean media reported.

The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening local time at a vegetable sorting facility in South Gyeongsang province about 150 miles south of Seoul, according to the BBC.

Read more
Autonomous delivery robots at center of bomb scare ‘prank’
A Starship robot making a delivery.

A Starship Technologies robot on a delivery run. Customers place an order via an app and the robot delivers it inside a secure compartment. Starship Technologies

A bomb threat involving wheel-based delivery robots at an Oregon State University campus has turned out to be a prank following the reported arrest of a suspect.

Read more