Reconstructing the Future of Aging: A Dual-Track Strategic Model Based on AI Wearable Ecosystems
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study proposes a comprehensive dual-track strategic model for China's aging society, integrating institutional reform, AI wearable technology, and commercial innovation. At the institutional level, the Digital Social Security Citizen (DSC) system enables intelligent cross-provincial transfer of social security rights, addressing the pension plight of 280 million migrant workers. At the technical level, an AI wearable ecosystem—comprising smart glasses, intelligent earphones, and ECG watches—provides 24/7 sensory compensation and digital guardianship across vision, hearing, and vital signs. At the commercial level, the Aegis premium pilot and Community Health Sentinel Plan operate in parallel, using brand premiums from high-net-worth families to subsidize accessible elderly care. The model is validated against China's demographic realities: 323.38 million people aged 60+ (23.0% of population) as of end-2025, with the cohort projected to exceed 400 million by 2035. The smart aging market reached 7.21 trillion yuan in 2025, with sub-sectors including age-friendly smart home (602 billion yuan), eldercare robots (91 billion yuan), and rehabilitation aids (500+ billion yuan) all showing high growth. Policy tailwinds include 15 national policies issued between 2021-2026, with the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly establishing smart aging as a key solution. Key innovations include: (1) health outcome smart contracts that shift payment from "treating disease" to "rewarding prevention"; (2) a four-layer cost-sharing mechanism (medical insurance + long-term care insurance + individual + corporate CSR) reducing per-capita cost to 1.6 yuan/day; and (3) an algorithmic ethics framework with five red lines ensuring human autonomy, data minimization, non-discrimination, human warmth, and dignity-preserving design. This is not a product proposal but a social-technical system reconstruction—positioning at the intersection where technological readiness meets urgent demographic demand.
Source: Figshare
Author: Chen, Yichun
Language: English
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163878239