A robot that can fetch and carry could be used to help care for sick and elderly people in their own homes. Toyota, the Japanese car manufacturer, has developed the Human Support Robot, or HSR for short, so it will pick up anything it is told to using a mechanical arm that can grasp objects. The robot also have a suction cup to help it pick up smaller more delicate items, such as medication or single sheets of paper.
- The Human Support Robot, or HSR, can pick up objects weighing 1.2kg
- It is controlled using a tablet computer and has video camera sensors
- Engineers say it could help the disabled and elderly around their homes
- It features a single mechanical arm and a suction cup for delicate items
The Human Support Robot, shown above, has a single mechanical arm that can grasp and pick up objects like a TV remote control, bottles of water, medication and even carry family photographs to bed ridden patients. Engineers behind the technology hope it could be used to help disabled patients and the elderly in their homes Initially the engineers behind the robot hope it will replace the need for service dogs which help people who are in wheelchairs or are prone to seizures. However, they say it could eventually be used to help care for people with disabilities and for the elderly in GeneHowever, they say it could eventually be used to help care for people with disabilities and for the elderly in general.
The mechanical grasping arm is coated in a soft material to ensure it does not hurt anyone in the home or damage any furniture there. It has several sensors and cameras around its body to help it navigate
A screen on top of the robot's head can be used to make video calls to family members and can even be used by health workers to check up on a patient. They could also control the robot to give a patient medication
The HSR is controlled using a tablet computer, as shown above, which allows a patient to see through the cameras of the robot, allowing them to select items they want to be picked up and brought to them
Source:
By Richard Gray
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