RIBA, the New Nurse

A robot that is similar to a big cheerful teddy bear was developed by Japanese scientists. It was designed to boost hospital patients in and out of their wheelchairs or beds. The Robot for Interactive Body Assistance (RIBA) was developed by the government-run Riken research institute. It will be installed in hospitals and retirement homes in 3 years time. Dr. Toshiharu Mukai, Research Team Head, said that they have developed RIBA because to be able to help the caregivers when they are required to transfer patients into hospital beds or wheelchairs.

The robot was developed in 2 years and by means of its foam padded arms, it can lift a weight of 61 kg. The soft skin was designed as a cover to protect the patients. The robot can identify faces, voices, and can reply to approximately 30 spoken commands. The battery operated robot can perform in a single hour in just a distinct charge. It is more responsive and stronger like Ri-man, the forerunner of RIBA. In the next 3 years RIBA will undergo thorough testing in hospitals. It will be available commercially in 2012. Dr Mukai said that he decided to create RIBA similar to a teddy bear because the humanoid versions of it cause discomfort to people. He refused to reveal the cost of the research because at present Japan is experiencing a twin crisis due to the rapidly ageing population. This adds pressure on the health system, as well as a flagging birth rate, and this denotes less workers. [via]