This open access book presents Robotic Nimbus, a framework for AI-enabled assistive robots designed to provide minimal necessary support in response to each person’s abilities, intentions, and surroundings. Rather than simply performing tasks in place of the user, Robotic Nimbus aims to help people succeed while preserving the feeling of “I did it myself” and strengthening the confidence of “I can do it if I try.”

The book introduces the major hardware subsystems of Robotic Nimbus, including Nimbus Holder, a supporting arm for body support and posture assistance; Nimbus Limbs, robotic subsystems that provide additional support for standing and walking; Nimbus Wear, a wearable support system for upper-limb assistance in daily activities; and Nimbus Sheet, a flexible surface for manipulation, rehabilitation, and human transfer. These hardware technologies are presented together with intelligent Support strategies that combine subtle sensing, adaptive control, XR, and multimodal feedback so that robotic assistance remains both physically effective and psychologically meaningful.

In addition, the book explores lifelog-based AI, patient digital twins, multi-robot coordination, living lab demonstrations, and the ethical, legal, and safety conditions required for social implementation. Bringing together interdisciplinary achievements in robotics, AI, neuroscience, rehabilitation, and welfare engineering, it offers a roadmap toward a vibrant and inclusive society in which robotic support enhances independence, participation, and human potential.

Yasuhisa Hirata is a Professor in the Department of Robotics at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. He received his B.E., M.E., and Ph.D. degrees
in mechanical engineering from Tohoku University in 1998, 2000, and 2004, respectively. He has conducted research on human–robot interaction, multi-robot coordination, and factory automation. He served as a project manager of the Moonshot R&D Program in Japan. He also served as an AdCom member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) and Chair of the IEEE RAS Technical Committee Cluster on Health and Medical Robotics.

Fumi Seto received her Ph.D. in Engineering from the Department of Bioengineering and Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, in 2008. Since her graduate student days, she has conducted research on human-cooperative robots and has also written articles to communicate robotics and science to the general public. She currently works as a science writer (“Writer-Engineer”). She also served as an assistant project manager for the Moonshot R&D Program led by Prof. Yasuhisa Hirata, and as a Board Member of the Robotics Society of Japan from 2024 to 2026.