Servo - May 2008

minimal threat to humans. A robot capable of scooping up a soldier from a field like a forklift poses obvious threats to the downed soldier. Without considerable thought to scooping mechanism design, the scoops could further injure the soldier.

Similarly, an elderly patient could be bruised or seriously harmed by either a hard exoskeleton or exposed rotating parts. Some designers have addressed the issue of potential human injury by encasing their creations in a thick skin of foam. However, doing so introduces issues of reduced cooling efficiency, increased bulk, increased resistance to movement, and additional challenges of disinfecting the surface.

So, as you work to advance the state of robotics through higher-order AI functions such as navigation and auto-calibration of sensors, it’s critical not to lose sight of environmental threats. If your goal is to develop robots that physically interact with humans, consider how you would harden the robot against the environment while presenting an interface that won’t tear or bruise fragile skin and muscles.

If you think about it, human anatomy presents a perfect archetype for a service robot — a tough, weight bearing, and protective endoskeleton encased in a soft, protective skin that can interface with humans without causing them harm. Perhaps the Terminator model isn’t far off after all. SV

Robot Psychologist:

A New Era in Mental Health Services

Two clinical psychologists associated with the Institute for Eclectic Psychology in Holland (Jaap Hollander and Jeffrey Wijnberg) have developed the first robot psychologist, named “MindMentor.” MindMentor is an online computer program that helps people solve problems and achieve goals. It has the unique quality (as compared with other online psychological help systems) of requiring no live human intervention and being completely automated. Said Hollander in a recent interview: “What made this whole endeavor exciting was that we suddenly saw a possibility to create an unlimited amount of psychological help.”

Some psychologists have responded positively to their robot colleague. Said David Van Nuys, Ph.D. (Emeritus Professor of Psychology Sonoma State University): “At the end of the hour-long session, I have to say my outlook and spirits were lifted considerably. It was smart, supportive, fun, and funny, and helped me to focus in on the central issue. I find the blend of artificial intelligence, NLP, and other goal-directed therapeutic techniques effective.”

How effective is the robot psychologist? Hollander, interviewed by a Dutch radio program, explained: “We did some research into the effectiveness of this system in 2006. We had a much more primitive version then, and with that we performed a test-run with 1,600 clients from all over the world. Our data show that MindMentor was able to solve the problems for 47% in just one session. When people were asked afterwards to what extent they had solved the problem with the help of the robot psychologist, 100% meaning totally solved and 0% meaning absolutely no change, the average result was 47%. We believe that this is a success percentage that any real-life psychologist would be satisfied with, especially given the fact that this was after just one session.”