Chinese Robot Efficiently Organizes Hospital Rooms... Anxiety Over Potential Replacement of Nurses

G1 in China Demonstrates Patient Care at Hospital

Some Say "It's Just a Demo Video"

A video showing a humanoid robot caring for patients in a hospital has been released, drawing increasing attention from online users. While some are concerned that robots might even replace nurses, others argue that such worries are premature.

On April 7 (local time), a video was shared on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), featuring the G1 robot from Chinese humanoid manufacturer Unitree working in a hospital. The video shows the G1 performing tasks such as organizing hospital beds and pushing wheelchairs, assisting patients with various work duties.

Unitree humanoid G1 organizing a hospital room. Screenshot from X

The G1 is Unitree’s flagship product. Priced at $16,000 (approximately 24 million won), it is considered very affordable and can perform a variety of actions, from walking to carrying objects. Currently, the G1 is being introduced on a trial basis throughout China. It has also been reported that hospitals in the Fuzhou region are conducting pilot operations with the G1.

However, responses from viewers who saw the video were divided. Some voiced concerns, asking, "Will nurses also be replaced by robots?" and "It seems there will be nothing left for people to do." Others pointed out, "This level of work is only a very small part of a nurse’s job."

There were also claims that the G1’s hospital demonstration video amounted to nothing more than a publicity event by Unitree. An IT expert on LinkedIn explained, "In the United States, robots are already being deployed for simple logistics work." Another expert commented, "It’s an impressive demo video, but if it is merely transporting items, a regular wheeled drone would be much more efficient," adding, "Humanoids may look impressive, but from a return on investment (ROI) perspective, they have many drawbacks as an invention."

Meanwhile, this is not the first attempt to introduce humanoids into hospitals. At the end of last month, Japanese startups Qiq and Zils collaborated with Tsukuba University Hospital to conduct a three-day demonstration experiment with humanoids. In Germany, the 150cm-tall AI-powered robot ‘Hugo’ is also being piloted in hospitals across multiple regions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.