Demand for artificial intelligence (AI) is surging, and elderly care robots are taking China's

On September 5, 2025, the 2025 World Intelligent Industry Expo grandly opened at the Chongqing International Expo Center. With "Artificial Intelligence Plus" as its core theme, the conference showcased a number of world-leading smart products, industry standards, and cutting-edge technologies. In particular, several innovative applications in the smart healthcare sector garnered widespread attention.

In recent years, the Chinese government has intensively introduced policies to promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and elderly care. From the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Aging Affairs and Elderly Care Service System," which explicitly calls for "accelerating the development of intelligent elderly care devices," to the "AI Plus Elderly Care Action Implementation Plan (2023-2025)," these policies encourage the practical application of AI technology in elderly care services. As the corresponding policy dividends continue to be released, AI is injecting strong "technological power" into China's elderly care sector.

Smart robots capable of performing moxibustion and mastering techniques are now available at Zhuhai Xiangzhou District Community Hospital.

Smart robots capable of performing moxibustion, understanding protocols, and mastering techniques—in fact, these AI applications are no longer confined to exhibitions. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine department of Huafa Community Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Zhuhai, Guangdong, several moxibustion robots are quietly transforming the traditional moxibustion service model within hospitals. After a single button power-up, the physician uses a joystick to control the robot's mechanical arm to move over the patient's corresponding body part. Using high-precision sensors and intelligent algorithms, the robot automatically identifies and locates acupoints, ensuring precise, "point-and-target" moxibustion application with millimeter-level accuracy for each movement.

In addition to manually setting the acupoint path for a moxibustion treatment, the operator can also directly access the robot's built-in moxibustion programs, such as warming meridians and unblocking collaterals, warming the uterus and dispelling cold, and lumbar disc pain treatment. The robot also records the user's physical data and preferences, allowing the physician to easily access their visit records and provide personalized services.

Auntie Liang, an elderly patient visiting the Huafa New Town Community Health Service Center in Zhuhai, Guangdong, said: "I didn't notice any smoke during the entire moxibustion process. The robot even cleans up the ash automatically. Accompanied by its own music, I fell asleep instantly."

Compared to traditional moxibustion, robotic moxibustion is not only equally effective but also avoids the irritation of smoke and the risk of burns during operation. Because of the moxibustion robot's safe, efficient, and stable service, it quickly became known as an "Internet celebrity doctor" among nearby residents!

The innovative deployment of AI robots in hospitals is not an isolated case. Intelligent moxibustion robots can be found throughout hospital departments across Shanxi Province. At Pingyao County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanxi Province, the Zhimei Kangmin moxibustion robot is innovatively used in facial moxibustion treatments. Its precise, timed, and automatic dust removal function effectively avoids the risk of burns caused by dust during traditional moxibustion, improving the safety and stability of facial moxibustion treatments and making it a specialty treatment at the hospital. At Xinghualing District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiyuan City, the Zhimei Kangmin moxibustion robot, a newly introduced intelligent service, further enriches the hospital's service offerings. The accelerated implementation of artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era for the elderly care industry.

Just one day before the opening of the expo, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released the "Action Plan for Stabilizing Growth in the Electronic Information Manufacturing Industry 2025-2026," which explicitly calls for "promoting AI terminals to higher levels of intelligent innovation." Currently, many cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai, have launched AI industry development and talent recruitment plans, accelerating the implementation of technologies such as robotics, big data, and the Internet of Things in elderly care settings. It is foreseeable that, driven by both policy support and technological innovation, smart elderly care is moving towards a higher level of personalization, refinement, and humanization.