Walk into a Tokyo eldercare facility today and you’ll see the future already working alongside caregivers. Residents are walking again with Honda’s Walking Assist exoskeleton, which senses hip motion and powers gait retraining. Care staff wear the Muscle Suit Every, an ISO-certified power-assist suit that protects the lower back during lifts. Panasonic’s Resyone bed converts into a wheelchair so one person can safely transfer a resident. Meanwhile, a humanoid robot called Pepper leads a group activity session, keeping residents moving and engaged. Japan, where nearly 30% of the population is over 65 according to the Annual Report on the Ageing Society 2024, has turned to robotics not as novelty but as necessity. The technology augments human workers, reduces strain, and provides objective measures of progress.
From eldercare to healthcare: robots expanding clinical frontiers
The same pattern is visible in medicine. Robotic surgery has moved into routine use with systems like the da Vinci Surgical System, which enables minimally invasive procedures with improved dexterity and precision. In 2023, Professor Zhang Xu performed a remote prostatectomy from Rome to Beijing—over 8,000 km away—using a Toumai robot guided over 5G. The procedure’s latency remained under 135 milliseconds, safely below clinical thresholds, as reported in Chinese PLA General Hospital records. We analyzed the veterinary implications of this breakthrough in FutureVet Insights (M3VIA, 2024). Orthopedic systems such as MicroPort’s SkyWalker robot have already performed clinical joint replacements with millimeter accuracy, and rehabilitation exoskeletons like CYBERDYNE’s HAL are being deployed in hospitals for spinal injury and stroke recovery.
Examples from other industries
Robotics has proven its value well beyond healthcare. In manufacturing, robotic arms deliver repetitive precision on assembly lines. In agriculture, robotic milkers and herding drones are trusted to work in unpredictable, animal-rich environments. In space exploration, robotic systems such as the Mars rovers and robotic arms on the International Space Station operate where humans cannot. These examples show resilience and adaptability—qualities equally important when designing robotics for veterinary care.
Where veterinary medicine can benefit
Drawing from Japanese care homes, advances in human healthcare, and lessons from other industries, robotics could address a wider set of veterinary challenges than workforce protection and surgery alone. Below are several areas where tangible opportunities are emerging:
Protecting the workforce and moving patients safely
Technicians and veterinarians face daily risk of injury when lifting large dogs, restraining livestock, or maneuvering recumbent ICU patients. Power-assist suits like the Muscle Suit Every, adapted for veterinary staff, could reduce musculoskeletal strain and extend careers. Robotic transfer systems modeled on Panasonic’s Resyone system could allow a single technician to move a patient from recovery bed to imaging table safely, freeing others to manage anesthesia or monitoring.
Supporting mobility and rehabilitation
In human care, exoskeletons such as Honda’s Walking Assist and CYBERDYNE’s HAL have restored mobility in stroke and spinal patients. Adapted for animals, lightweight exosuits could assist dogs recovering from cruciate ligament repair or horses with tendon injuries, while logging stride length and weight-bearing symmetry so clinicians track recovery objectively instead of relying on snapshots.
Surgery and remote expertise
Robotic-assisted surgery offers precision for delicate procedures. Early veterinary pilots could focus on minimally invasive tasks where tremor reduction and accuracy matter most. Building on human precedents such as the da Vinci Surgical System and the SkyWalker orthopedic robot, species-specific systems could follow. Telesurgery also holds promise: as demonstrated by Professor Zhang Xu’s 8,000 km remote prostatectomy, analyzed in M3VIA (2024), safe, low-latency operation is already possible and could extend specialist access to rural practices.
Diagnostics and monitoring
Japanese care homes use walkers and mirrors that capture gait and balance data. Veterinary equivalents could include smart harnesses for canine rehab that measure weight distribution, or equine gait stations that flag asymmetry before overt lameness. Robotic ultrasound platforms already being trialed in human care could also translate, positioning probes consistently to generate repeatable images without operator fatigue.
Hospital logistics and efficiency
Robotic carts are now commonplace in human hospitals, transporting linens, medications, and supplies. Veterinary referral centers and teaching hospitals could adopt similar systems to reduce repetitive transport tasks and free technicians for clinical care. Automated cleaning and sterilization robots, already standard in some food production facilities, could improve biosecurity in kennels and large-animal barns.
Field and large-animal practice
For equine and livestock medicine, robotics could reduce risk and extend reach. Ceiling-mounted robotic hoists in equine hospitals could replace manual lifts for anesthetized horses. In herd health, drones with robotic payloads might deliver vaccines or monitoring equipment to inaccessible pastures. Telepresence robots could allow a veterinarian to “walk” a farm remotely, guided by local staff but with real-time visual and data feedback.
Together these examples highlight a broader horizon: robotics not just in the surgical suite, but throughout the continuum of veterinary care—from handling and rehab to diagnostics, logistics, and field practice.
Practical requirements
- Species-specific design: Robotics must account for the diversity of patients—from brachycephalic dogs to draft horses—requiring adaptable attachments and safety interlocks.
- Hygiene and durability: Surfaces must resist scratches and bites and be easy to disinfect between cases.
- Data integration: Robotic systems should stream their measurements directly into patient records so recovery progress appears during rounds, not only in the rehab suite.
- Human-in-the-loop: As in Japan, robots will support—not replace—veterinary teams, ensuring clinicians remain in command of decisions and oversight.
Conclusion: from normalization to translation
Japan’s eldercare facilities show how robotics becomes ordinary when the pressures are real and the tools are effective. Human healthcare demonstrates that surgical, rehab, and logistics robots can deliver measurable benefits without displacing clinicians. Other industries prove that robotics can thrive in complex, unpredictable environments. For veterinary medicine, the most promising opportunities lie in protecting staff, moving patients safely, quantifying recovery, and extending surgical expertise. The challenge now is to adapt, pilot, and refine—so robotics becomes a trusted partner where it solves real problems in animal health.
