Mobility Aids & Assistive Technology

China has launched an action plan to promote consumption of smart home products, aiming to increase the diversity of usage scenarios and expand the supply of high-quality goods. The plan was issued by eight government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It sets out seven major measures covering the expansion of high-quality smart home supply, improvement of the standards system, support for consumption, development of products suited to the elderly, organisation of recycling service chains for used household goods, optimisation of community services, and strengthening of financial and budgetary support. The plan also calls for supporting the retrofitting of homes for the elderly and the upgrading of old homes into smart homes. Under the 2026 trade-in policy for consumer goods, local governments have been given greater flexibility in designing subsidy programmes, with the central government planning to allocate 250 billion yuan, or 36.93 billion US dollars, from ultra-long special treasury bonds to support such projects nationwide.

Bloomberg reports that Taiwan's population may decline to about 12.15 million by 2075, a drop of roughly 48% from 2026 levels, amid a continued decrease in births and young population, while the number of elderly rises significantly, posing long-term challenges to the labor market, economy, and defense capabilities. Estimates from Taiwan's National Development Council (NDC), based on household registration data, indicate that the working-age population will shrink by nearly two-thirds over the next 50 years. By 2075, the population aged 0-14 will be only 585,000, the working-age population (15-64) will be about 5.13 million, and those aged 65 and above will reach 6.43 million, meaning the elderly will outnumber the working-age population and account for more than half of the total population. These figures reflect risks after the population peaked at 23.6 million in 2019, and could also affect Taiwan's security, as the military still relies partly on conscription amid threats from China.

Peerapat Technology Public Company Limited, or PRAPAT, has announced plans to expand into the senior economy market in the second to third quarter of 2026, leveraging its existing hospital customer base to broaden its wellness product range and preparing to launch adult diapers for hospitals, elderly care centers, and the health market. The move comes amid pressure on the tourism sector, with tourist arrivals falling to around 30 to 32 million, a drop of about 7% from the previous year. Yet PRAPAT still managed to grow its profit by 55% and pay a dividend of around 5%, reflecting business stability. The company disclosed the information at a Dinner Talk seminar in Songkhla province, noting that Thailand has a population aged 60 and above accounting for about 30% of the total population, presenting a significant market expansion opportunity.

TrendForce projects the humanoid companion robot market will grow to US$1.1 billion by 2030, driven by aging populations, declining birth rates, and a rising companionship economy. The research firm notes that Japan pioneered the sector with products like GROOVE X's LOVOT and AIST's PARO, which emphasize cute, cartoon-like designs for emotional support. In contrast, Chinese developers are pursuing highly biomimetic humanoid forms, exemplified by UBTech Robotics' newly unveiled U1 model, which features realistic silicone skin, 88 degrees of freedom, and an emotion-focused large language model. TrendForce believes the U1 launch signals the humanoid robot supply chain is expanding beyond industrial uses into consumer electronics, increasing demand for components such as high-fidelity synthetic materials, multimodal sensors, and emotion AI models. Despite strong potential, challenges remain in battery life, emotional interaction naturalness, privacy, and pricing, and it is uncertain whether early demand can be sustained beyond initial adopters.