ZEALS has expanded its humanoid robot trials into the nursing care sector after completing a two-day proof of concept at a paid nursing home in Tokyo. The company deployed its compact humanoid D1 at Hospitment Bunkyo Sendagi from September 10 to 11, 2026. The validation covered facility guidance, lightweight item transport, and tea preparation under realistic daily conditions.
Background and Objectives
Care facilities require staff to manage recurring duties such as moving supplies, preparing drinks, guiding visitors, and organizing recreation in addition to direct resident care. These essential but repetitive tasks add physical and time pressure to nurses and caregivers. ZEALS believes that delegating part of this workload to robots could free staff to spend more time on conversation and individualized support.
Two-Day Validation Overview
The trial was conducted at Hospitment Bunkyo Sendagi, a four-story facility with 50 residents and 48 rooms where nurses and caregivers are present around the clock. On the first day, the team installed D1, connected the network, created a floor map, and adjusted navigation before testing tasks in stages. On the second day, they used the previous day's data to validate each task and collect operational information.
Guidance and Floor Mobility
D1 used a pre-acquired map to move autonomously through corridors and shared spaces, including elevator-assisted travel between floors. When staff spoke to the robot, it guided them to locations such as the office, entrance, toilet, elevator, rehabilitation area, and residential rooms. The robot detected passersby and obstacles with cameras and sensors and continued safely while engaging in natural conversation with residents.
Lightweight Item Transport
Because a nursing home is a living space rather than a clinical facility, staff regularly handle care supplies and personal orders for residents alongside their care duties. In this test, D1 received items by hand from staff in the office, confirmed the destination verbally, and moved autonomously while holding them. It delivered adult diapers and an actual same-day delivery order to the correct rooms, allowing researchers to assess grip and movement limits.
Autonomous Tea Service
D1 also performed a tea sequence by recognizing the pot and cup, lifting the pot, and pouring liquid while monitoring the amount in the cup. This action was completed without remote control, with the robot deciding the tilt angle and when to stop pouring. Although the demonstration showed autonomous tea service is possible, stability and repeatability still require further learning and data collection.
Results and Future Outlook
The two-day field test recorded 15 hours of operational time, with eight hours on the first day and seven hours on the second. According to ZEALS, this nursing home trial follows an August 2026 hospital validation at Juukou Daisu Hospital, where D1 worked for 35 hours across five tasks. In both medical and nursing care settings, the robot completed practical duties without any contact with people or equipment and without falling.
Operator Perspective
Sakurajuji Group operations manager Shin Sugaya said labor shortages make reducing staff burden a critical challenge in nursing care. He noted that beginning with everyday tasks such as transport and guidance can create meaningful operational support while future efforts move toward direct assistance. He also observed that residents accepted the robot smoothly and responded positively to its gestures and expressions.
The Bunkyo Sendagi trial suggests that compact humanoid robots can operate in residential care settings by using existing elevators and handling everyday support tasks. The findings also highlight that liquid handling stability and broader operational integration require continued refinement. ZEALS and Sakurajuji Group plan to use the collected data for further learning and to discuss expansion to other Hospitment facilities.