Caring for elderly patients with limited mobility is challenging, and as the global population ages, the demand for care is increasing. Families often bear the burden of caregiving, struggling to find adequate help. What if there was a robot that could take care of the feces of elderly patients with limited mobility or bedridden patients with disabilities?
Imagination has become a reality. A new development from the South Korean medical device company Curaco offers a solution: Carebidet, a robot designed to manage the excretory needs of elderly and bedridden patients.
Founded in 2007, Curaco spent 17 years developing Carebidet, which was officially launched last year in Korea, the United States, and Japan. The company focuses solely on this excretory care robot.
In recognition of its technology, Curaco was selected as one of the top 10 representative projects of the Korea Medical Device Development Fund for 2024. The Ministry of Health and Welfare also chose Curaco as the first investment recipient of the Social Service Investment Fund, a 14.5 billion won fund.
Lee Hoon-sang, CEO of Curaco, said that being selected for the Korea Medical Device Development Fund validates their technology and opens up further business opportunities. “There was a similar product in Japan, but it was difficult to use because of its poor performance. The Carebidet we made is virtually the only one in the world,” Lee said. “Curaco’s technology has been recognized globally.”
Traditional diapers for bedridden patients can be cumbersome and costly. A single adult diaper costs about 1,000 won, and a patient using six per day would spend approximately 2.19 million won annually. Carebidet aims to eliminate these inconveniences.
Carebidet consists of two parts: a body attachment and a main body. The attachment collects feces and sends it to the main body’s waste container. When the patient defecates, a sensor activates, suctioning the waste and cleaning and drying the patient with water. The waste container needs to be emptied only once or twice a day, reducing caregivers’ need for frequent diaper changes and manual cleaning.
“For the patient, it’s a technology that reduces embarrassment by allowing them to manage toileting unassisted, and it also reduces stress for family members,” Lee said.
A testimonial from a Japanese family using a Carebidet prototype highlighted its benefits. “Since my daughter was paralyzed in a car accident in high school, the hardest thing for us has been dealing with her feces at night. Thanks to Carebidet, her bed is clean in the morning, and her family doesn’t lose sleep.”
Research supports these claims. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Digital Convergence by CHA University found that Carebidet reduces the risk of incontinence-related dermatitis and pressure ulcers in ICU patients.
As Korea prepares to enter an ultra-aging society next year, with over 20% of the population aged 65 and older, the need for innovative care solutions like Carebidet grows. According to a March report by the Bank of Korea titled ‘Mitigating Labor Shortage and Cost Burden in the Care Service Sector,’ the labor shortage for care workers is projected to increase from 190,000 in 2022 to between 610,000 and 1.55 million by 2042. Curaco believes care robots will become essential in addressing these challenges.
