Scenario-Based Care Robot Development and User-Centered Innovation in Korea
W.-J. Shim (Convener)¹, W.-K. Song (Chair) 2, Y.-J. Choi (Moderator)3.
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AbstractISSUE: Korea is experiencing a rapid increase in care needs due to accelerated population aging and a growing number of older adults and persons with disabilities. However, the availability of the care workforce continues to decline as the working-age population shrinks, resulting in a widening gap between care demand and supply. In response, the Korean government has established an inter-ministerial collaboration between The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to reduce care burden, improve quality of life, and foster the care-technology industry. Through this framework, MOTIE supports the development of commercializable care robot technologies, while MOHW promotes translational research, field-based pilot studies, and the development of service models under an integrated "Package-type R&D" program. To develop devices and service models suitable for Korean contexts-both in long-term care facilities and in-home environments—four major care robot areas have been prioritized: transfer support, pressure ulcer prevention and postural change, toileting and continence support, and eating assistance. Additional initiatives include autonomous mobility support, emotion- and communication-based companion robots, and technologies supporting human caregivers themselves. A central principle of this national R&D effort is participatory research, conducted "together with users." Care recipients, caregivers, companies, and policy experts participate throughout the entire research process. To support this, a Care Robot Network Forum has been established and is actively operating. In this symposium, researchers from four participating companies and institutions will present their development outcomes and discuss the results of integrated workshops and scenario-based approaches designed to ensure human-centered and user-driven development.. CONTENT: Won-Kyung Song will present the operation of five Smart Care Spaces functioning as living labs to validate application scenarios for nine core care robots. He will share major operational methods and experiences derived from these applications, demonstrating how scenario-based testing bridges the gap between technology and real-world application. Woo-Joung Shim will present the results of scenario-based voice interaction development for autonomous mobility support. This presentation will highlight how conversational scenarios were designed and implemented to enable natural and intuitive human-robot interaction within autonomous mobility devices. Se-Jin Park will present a radar-based non-contact vital-sign monitoring system that provides real-time tracking of respiration and heart-rate signals and automatically detects early signs of physiological instability or hazardous situations in older adults. The presentation will highlight how automated early-risk detection, bed-exit alerts, and continuous monitoring can enhance safety management and improve operational efficiency in long-term care settings. Kyung-Whan Kim will discuss the development of a scenario-based feeding robot. By analyzing and structuring the interaction processes between the robot and the user during mealtime, Kim will illustrate how these interaction scenarios were utilized to guide the technical design and development of the feeding robot. CONCLUSION: The scenario-based approach demonstrates its value in anticipating the wide range of events that may occur during research and development, enabling more effective and efficient interactions among devices, users, and caregivers. Scenario development that incorporates the experiences and perspectives of diverse participants-such as end users, family caregivers, and care facility staff-helps refine and advance prototypes through real-world validation in the Smart Care Space. This symposium will illustrate how such participatory scenario-based processes contribute to more precise, user-centered, and practical care robot development.Keywords: Care Robot, Smart Care Space, Care Scenario, HRI, Assistive Feeding Robot, Early-risk
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W.-J. Shim (Convener)¹, W.-K. Song (Chair) 2, Y.-J. Choi (Moderator)3. (2026). Scenario-Based Care Robot Development and User-Centered Innovation in Korea. Gerontechnology, 25(2), 1-10
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2026.25.2.1413.3