The Intellectual Property Department has warned of the looming shortage of young carers for the elderly as Thai society ages, and that few patents are being filed for robotic helpers to replace them.
Deputy director-general Nusara Kanjanakul said on Friday that although Thailand had the highest growth rate in use of industrial robots in Southeast Asia, patents for robots to assist the elderly made up only 0.06% of all robotic patents.
"This is not moving in line with the transition of Thailand into an ageing society. Thai population growth is expected to stop in 2022 and Thailand will then become a completely ageing society," she said.
Ms Nusara said that for the last decade there had been 12 people of working age for every elderly Thai. But the old-age support ratio would drop to only two for each old person by 2035.
By then, there would be an estimated 16 million people over the age of 60 years, and they would make up a quarter of the total Thai population, she said.
After population growth stops around 2022, the population would decline and the elderly would lack carers, Ms Nussara said.
