Care robots: Useful support, but not a replacement for human care
Increasingly, robots are being discussed as a possible response to the growing need for support among older adults. Robots vary considerably depending on their design, with different robots helping with walking, retrieving objects, monitoring health, or engaging in activities.
For older adults and caregivers, this raises both promising and concerning considerations. While robots may provide useful assistance, especially when other help is not immediately available, many worry that technology may be used as an excuse to reduce human contact, or as a substitute for necessary care built on compassion, trust, and personal relationships.
What are care robots?
Care robots perform different functions, with research commonly grouping these functions into three categories:
- assistive robots helping with physical activities like walking or retrieving objects
- monitoring robots collecting information related to health, movement, or safety
- companion robots providing interaction, stimulation, or emotional support.
In some cases, robots might combine multiple functions, like a device that leads and exercise session while monitoring movements. Additionally, not all robots are humanoid robots, as others like robotic walkers, exercise-assistance devices, robotic pets, and machines designed for supporting daily activities can take many shapes.
What the research tells us
An evidence synthesis published in 2025 analyzed nine studies on care robots used to support adults aged 60 and older living with frailty (defined as physical changes like muscle weakness and slower movement, as well as psychological and social challenges).
Five studies investigated physical frailty, with three reporting positive findings and two finding not significant effects. In these studies, robots sometimes helped participants improve walking speed, balance, or mobility, highlighting that carefully designed robots might be useful for physical training or rehabilitation.
Results were less encouraging when using robots to support psychological and social dimensions of frailty. Four studies found no significant improvements in psychological outcomes, and no studies found evidence that robots improved social frailty. The authors suggest that while robots might stimulate interaction, it is not the same as having a reciprocal relationship with another person.
In some cases, older adults identified usability concerns, such as devices unexpectedly entering inactive modes or requiring charging in ways easy to overlook. In general, usability across devices studied were considered below average levels of usability.
Overall, the evidence synthesis suggests that while care robots have the potential to support physical frailty, their psychological and social benefits are limited. Better design and involvement of older adults is required to make supportive technologies like robots accessible, acceptable, and useful in real-life settings.¹
What to consider before introducing a care robot
Care robots should only be introduced when they address a clear need, like supporting balance, leading exercises, monitoring health information, retrieving objects or providing reminders. A device designed for one task should not be used to improve other aspects of older adults’ wellbeing.
Older adults, caregivers, and care providers must consider how easy the robot is to understand, operate, charge, and maintain, and whether assistance is required and available when problems occur. Older adults need to be comfortable using the robot, and their preferences, routines, and living environment should guide the decision. Ideally, older adults should be able to test the device beforehand.
Monitoring robots collect sensitive information about health, movement, and/or activities in the home. Older adults should be fully informed about what is collected, who can access it, how it is stored and shared, and whether monitoring can be paused, personalized, or declined.
Ultimately, robots should be used to supplement – never replace – human care and social connection. Older adults and caregivers should be involved about decisions about how these technologies are designed and evaluated so that they can better meet real needs and be effectively integrated into lifestyles.
References
- Che RP, Ruan YX, Kodate N, Shi Y, Liu X, Donnelly S, Suwa S, Yu W, Kong D, Cheung MC. Effectiveness and usability of care robots in supporting older adults living with frailty: A systematic review. Digital Health. 2025;11:1–15. doi:10.1177/20552076251370058.
McMaster Optimal Aging Blog Posts are written by faculty, staff, PhD students, and external collaborators, and are assessed for accuracy by members of the Portal scientific leadership team.
DISCLAIMER: These summaries are provided for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for advice from your own health care professional. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal (info@mcmasteroptimalaging.org).