Robytes
by Jeff Eckert
Nursebot Strong Like Bear
RIBA, the first robot to move patients
between bed and wheelchair.
The hot summer months must
have parboiled a few brain cells in the
bot industry, with the result being an
unusual rash of creepy robots. For
example, just imagine you’re slowly
waking up from surgery performed
under the auspices of a heavy dose of
Propofol (probably not administered
by Conrad Murray), and the first thing
you notice is that you’re being
cradled in the arms of a big, fat,
foam rubber polar bear. It’s not likely
that you’re in hell, as polar bears tend
to favor cooler climates. But this ain’t
no angel, either. It’s actually the
Robot for Interactive Body Assistance
(RIBA), developed in a joint venture
between Japan’s RIKEN (Institute of
Physical and Chemical Research) and
Tokai Rubber Industries ( rtc.nagoya.
riken.jp/RIBA/index-e.html).
The bot is designed to save
wear and tear on human nurses by
relieving them of the task of lifting
patients and moving them from bed
to wheelchair or vice versa. RIBA is
fitted with precision tactile sensors to
ensure patient comfort, and two
cameras and two microphones enable
it to follow the operator’s visual and
audio cues.
The only apparent “oops” in
the design is RIBA’s inability to lift
anything heavier than 134 lb ( 61 kg).
That might fly in Japan — where the
obesity rate is only about three
percent — but the lard-laden USA
doesn’t seem to offer much of
a market.
Blood-Sucking Bot
Robotic phlebotomist “Bloodbot.”
Courtesy of Imperial College, London.
Also not for the squeamish is a
prototype “Bloodbot,” developed by
Alex Zivanovic and Brian Davies at
Imperial College, London (www3.
imperial.ac.uk). It’s designed to take
samples from the ante-cubital fossa
(ACF), which is the area in the crease
of the arm where the veins are close
to the surface of the skin. Once the
device locates a suitable vein, it
inserts a needle. Piezo-resistive force
sensors detect when it has pierced
the vein, keeping it from overshooting
the target and coming out the other
side of your arm.
The bot has been tested on a
dummy limb consisting of a bunch of
rubber tubes embedded in jelly, all
covered with a latex membrane that
simulates skin. Assuming that’s a
good simulation of your arm, it
should work fine. Anyone want to
be the first to try it out?
First Robotic Kiss
Close your eyes and imagine a
kiss between two beings who are
Thomas and Janet rehearse for a
performance of Phantom of the
Opera. Courtesy of Taiwan Tech.
incapable of real feelings, who exist
beneath a plastic exterior, and whose
every move must be programmed
because of their lack of innate
intelligence. No, it’s not Brad and
Angelina. It’s Thomas and Janet,
creations of Chyi-Yeu Lin, a
mechanical engineering professor
at National Taiwan University of
Science and Technology (www-e.
ntust.edu.tw). Somehow it slipped
our attention that late last year these
automatons performed what is
believed to be the first kiss between
two humanoid robots, during a
robotic performance of scenes from
Phantom of the Opera. And it won’t
stop there.
According to Lin, “We aim to
form a group composed of
autonomous robots, which are like
well-trained versatile performers.
They cannot only perform different
plays, sing songs, or broadcast news,
but also interact with real persons
appropriately.”
For a vaguely disquieting video,
visit www.youtube.com/watch?v
=mwZNxFN17jc.
What Happens in
New Zealand...
Amid worldwide predictions
of labor shortages and shrinking
resources for travel and leisure, the
8 SERVO 11.2009