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Explainer · Researched, not tested

Humanoid robots in aged care in Australia: what's actually happening

Australian developers are racing to build humanoid robots for aged care, and a few are already at work in nursing homes in Melbourne and Sydney. Here's which robots are deployed, what they do, what the evidence does and doesn't show, and what to ask if your parent's home brings one in. Checked 29 October 2026.

By Domestic Robot · Editor: Christian Ganaban · Updated 29 October 2026

Researched, not testedThis explainer is based on reporting, company statements and government sources, all linked below. We haven't visited these aged care homes or used these robots.

Quick answer

A handful of social humanoids are already in Australian aged care, but none provides physical care. The best known is Abi, made by Melbourne's Andromeda Robotics: 22 run full-time across mecwacare's Victorian homes, and Andromeda has reported deployments in about 15 Melbourne-area homes in total. Abi chats, sings, tells stories and runs group activities in up to 90 languages. In Sydney, the Australian Nursing Home Foundation uses Daisy, a Singapore-made robot that leads exercise and music in Mandarin and Cantonese across five homes (ABC). These robots don't lift, feed, bathe or give medication, and experts quoted by the ABC say there's little evidence yet that AI reduces loneliness over time. They support staff and residents; they don't replace care or human contact.

Which robots are in Australian aged care now

Robot	Who makes it	What it does	Where it's deployed
Abi	Andromeda Robotics, Melbourne	Companion: conversation in up to 90 languages, music, storytelling, group activities, remembers past conversations	22 full-time across mecwacare's Victorian homes (April 2026); about 15 Melbourne-area homes in total (March 2026), including three of Medical & Aged Care Group's 11
Daisy	Dex-Lab, Singapore	Group exercise and music; designed with dementia in mind; speaks Mandarin and Cantonese	Five Sydney homes run by the Australian Nursing Home Foundation (ABC, April 2026)
Anitron prototype	Anitron, Sydney	Full-size humanoid in development	Prototype only; reported 26 October 2026 as one of the Australian developers targeting aged care, construction and manufacturing

Checked 29 October 2026 against the reporting under Sources. Deployment numbers come from the companies and their customers; we couldn't verify them independently. Andromeda's own figures have been reported differently over time (22 robots at mecwacare; about 15 homes overall), so treat them as approximate.

Abi: Australia's aged care humanoid

Abi is about 120 cm tall, brightly coloured and built to look friendly rather than human. Andromeda co-designed it with clinical and lifestyle staff at mecwacare from early 2025, with features aimed at residents living with dementia and residents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: eye-level conversation, better audio for people with hearing loss, and LiDAR navigation so it can move between rooms.

What it does day to day is social: one-on-one visits, conversation, singing, storytelling, and leading group sessions. Staff manage it through an app, and Andromeda says newer "Genesis" units run up to seven hours on a charge and can learn a facility's layout on their own. Earlier units had an Andromeda engineer on site; the company's goal is semi-autonomous operation. It's not a care robot in the physical sense: it doesn't lift, toilet, feed or give medicines.

Andromeda raised a A$23 million Series A in September 2025, moved into a 2,500 m² Melbourne facility in 2026, has more than 80 staff, and has started in the US, at Eskaton Village Carmichael, a memory-care community in California, with an independent study by nursing researchers at UC Davis. Pricing isn't public; Abi is sold to aged care providers, not families.

What the evidence says, and what it doesn't

The strongest numbers come from Andromeda itself. Its internal research at mecwacare reported that 74% of staff saw less agitation among residents around Abi, with satisfaction rated 9 out of 10, and mecwacare's CEO has described residents treating Abi as part of their "circle of care". That's encouraging, but it's company research, not an independent trial.

Independent experts are more cautious. In an April 2026 ABC report, Monash University's Pei-Chun Ko said there's little evidence that AI reduces loneliness over time, and warned about data held by tech companies and systems nobody is monitoring. Michelle Lim of Ending Loneliness Together asked how staff would know if someone was in danger and called for stronger regulation. The eSafety Commissioner flagged manipulation, harmful content and over-reliance on AI for emotional support, and recommended a Safety by Design approach. Ageing Australia's Tom Symondson saw robots easing loneliness and checking on residents while staff are busy, but said AI shouldn't replace human carers.

The UC Davis study of Abi is one to watch: it's independent, and it asks residents, care partners and families about their experience.

Why aged care, and why now

Demand: about 1.35 million Australians used some form of aged care in 2024 (AIHW, via the ABC).
Staffing: providers and developers pitch social robots as a way to give residents attention when staff are stretched, especially in group activities and quiet hours.
Language and culture: a robot that switches between dozens of languages can talk to residents whose first language isn't English, which is hard to staff for in every home.
Policy: the federal Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy (2024–2029) includes an AI framework, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is reviewing AI guidelines and safety controls (ABC). The new Aged Care Act, in force since 1 November 2025, puts older people's rights at the centre of funded care.

If your parent's home introduces a robot: questions to ask

What does it record? Ask whether it has cameras and microphones, whether conversations are stored, where (and whether in Australia), for how long, and who can see them.
Can your parent say no? Residents should be able to opt out of one-on-one visits or recording, and staff should respect it.
Who is watching? Ask how staff are alerted if a resident says something worrying to the robot, such as feeling unwell, unsafe or very low.
Does it change staffing? A robot should add to care, not cut the time staff spend with residents. Ask the home directly.
What happens with dementia? Some residents may believe the robot is a person or a pet. Ask how staff handle confusion or distress.

If you have concerns about how a home uses technology, raise them with the provider first, then with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Nothing here is medical advice; talk to your parent's GP or care team about their health and wellbeing.

Can you buy one for a parent at home?

Not Abi or Daisy: both are sold to aged care providers. For a parent living at home, the options are simpler consumer robots. Our companion robots for older Australians guide covers robotic pets that need no Wi-Fi and roaming camera robots with check-in features. None of them is a medical alarm or a substitute for regular contact and proper support services.

Home humanoids that help with chores, such as the 1X NEO and Tesla Optimus, aren't on sale in Australia yet. See whether you can buy a humanoid robot in Australia and our humanoid tracker for what's coming.

Our take

Australia is early to social humanoids in aged care, largely thanks to one Melbourne startup. The robots in homes today are companions and activity leaders, not carers, and the best evidence so far comes from the companies themselves. That makes the questions above worth asking. We'll update this page when the UC Davis study reports, when another Australian provider announces a rollout, or when Anitron or another local developer shows a robot working in a real home.

Families who can't visit often can ask about telepresence robots, which some Australian homes rent.

For a simple robotic pet that needs no Wi-Fi, see our Joy for All cat review.

Meta is reportedly working with Fourier, maker of the GR-3 care robot: see Meta's humanoid robot.

What families and providers should check about physical safety, privacy and remote operators: humanoid robot safety at home.

Supporting a parent who still lives at home? See robots for an elderly parent living alone, and for funding questions under 65, can the NDIS fund a companion robot?

Heard about ElliQ? See ElliQ in Australia for why you can't get it here yet. For disability equipment such as feeding robots, see assistive robots in Australia.

Common questions

Are there humanoid robots in Australian aged care homes?

Yes, a few. Andromeda's Abi runs full-time in mecwacare's Victorian homes (22 robots) and other Melbourne-area homes, and the Australian Nursing Home Foundation uses a robot called Daisy in five Sydney homes.

What does the Abi robot do?

It's a social companion. Abi chats in up to 90 languages, sings, tells stories, remembers past conversations and leads group activities. It doesn't provide physical care such as lifting, feeding or giving medication.

Do robots replace aged care staff?

No. Providers and Andromeda present them as support for residents and staff, not replacements, and experts quoted by the ABC say AI shouldn't replace human carers.

Do companion robots reduce loneliness in aged care?

Andromeda's own research reported less agitation around Abi, but independent experts say there's little evidence yet that AI reduces loneliness over time. An independent UC Davis study of Abi is under way.

Can I buy an Abi robot for my parent?

No. Abi is sold to aged care providers and its price isn't public. Families can buy simpler companion robots; see our guide to companion robots for older Australians.

Who makes humanoid robots in Australia?

Andromeda Robotics in Melbourne makes Abi for aged care. Sydney's Anitron is developing a full-size humanoid prototype.

Sources

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