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Robear: Strength of a robot, face of a bear

11 Comments

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I want my robot to be like HRP-4C (Miim). Costumes would include "French-maid" and "bunny-girl". Some improvements would need to be made to the infrastructure around "her" waist region, but I am satisfied with the overall appearance. I wish the manufacturers the best of luck in developing future versions of this magnificent machine.

Old age just might become fun.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Forget the frightening androids of dystopian sci-fi, the future of robots is cute polar bears that can lift elderly people into and out of bed.

Ironically, making these caregiver robots cute has even more of a disconcerting, dystopian vibe than if they were designed to merely look like functional machines (kind of similar to the way clowns give some people the creeps).

This dystopian element is particularly pronounced given Japan's deluge in recent years of media coverage about scientists working to create robots to replace human assistants for the elderly, babysitters and other caregivers, and even romantic interests and friends for the lonely — sometimes proposed as a means of dealing with Japan's shrinking and aging population, without resorting to immigration.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

"Forget the frightening androids of dystopian sci-fi, the future of robots is cute polar bears that can lift elderly people into and out of bed."

Actually this "cute" polar bear is more frightening than sci-fi movie robots. It's folding this woman in half to better fit in it's mouth!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Sensato,

Shades of Solaria?

It's folding this woman in half to better fit in it's mouth!

But it's smiling as it does it, so all good.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I attended a demo of one of these caregiver robots a few weeks ago and they're more work than they save. It took more than an hour to get it set up, and it still needed to be accompanied the whole way by human because it doesn't have the flexibility or dexterity to put on or remove the sling it uses to carry patients (you can just see it in the picture), nor to hold patients securely if they move.

It might save a nurse some heavy lifting, but it is not a real solution at this stage, nor will it be until these robots have full human range of movement.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Frungy

I know you're a professional medical but give the robot a little time to perfect it's performance ! It takes several years (at least seven in France) to become a doctor (as I'm sure you know) "Polar Bear nurses" also need training ! I'm sure the human nurses are going to be very happy not to have to lift heavy weights anymore !

3 ( +3 / -0 )

FightingVikingFeb. 25, 2015 - 11:33AM JST I know you're a professional medical but give the robot a little time to perfect it's performance ! It takes several years (at least seven in France) to become a doctor (as I'm sure you know) "Polar Bear nurses" also need training ! I'm sure the human nurses are going to be very happy not to have to lift heavy weights anymore !

Fair enough, which is why I wrote it wasn't a solution "at this stage".

The problems are structural, no amount of programming/training will change the fact that it doesn't have the dexterity or range of arm movement required to put on the sling itself, nor will programming/training change the fact that it needs constant supervision.

At this stage it isn't really offering anything that couldn't be achieved by a bed that moves itself around. In fact it would be safer for patients to just alter the beds to take them to the bath and transform into a wheelchair (there are already beds that do this).

This robot doesn't do anything that isn't currently available more cheaply, more safely and more effectively.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Slings and hoists exist already. Spare us from this obsession with complicating the simple.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

So, is this robot intended to replace the ten thousand or so Pilippino and Indonesian care givers? And, I wonder who is gonna pay for them?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

errrr... did they google pedobear before deciding on that face?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

This really is sad. A robot polar bear rather than a living, breathing Indonesian nurse?

I love this country but sometimes I despair....

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

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