Posted on 12/15/2005 10:42:15 AM PST by JZelle
Pearl the personal-assistant robot walks, talks and even blinks her eyes. She has ears, eyebrows and even lips of a kind on her mobile "face." To an infirm person living alone, this high-tech metal device that can dispense advice and even guide movements around the house is a substitute for an increasingly rare -- and expensive -- flesh-and-bones home health care worker. By providing visual and auditory reminders on when to take medicine or even go to the bathroom, Pearl can help a fragile senior maintain his or her independence outside an assisted living facility. The robot has a laser range finder and special navigational software to allow it to move and even create a map of its surroundings on a video screen in its "belly." The prototype costs $100,000, a sum that would be reduced to between $5,000 and $10,000 if it were mass-produced, say proponents, who argue this is considerably less than what a professional caregiver would cost. She -- or it -- is an example of a new generation of computer-generated wizardry that the corporate world, working hand-in-hand with nonprofit research institutions, sees as the future for millions of boomers who are caregivers -- and for aging boomers themselves, who most likely will opt for a degree of freedom and mobility in the face of their declining physical well-being.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
And on top of that, these would be reusable. They would go for even less in the secondhand market.
Gore blew off 2008 and got a job. Good.
We're paying $50,000 a year for my mother in law's care (she has Alzheimers, so I'm not sure a robot would work.) But that's pretty standard for assisted living facilities, a robot like this would pay for itself in a couple of years.
Me, I got FemmeBots.
* S P E W *
GMTA. Heh.
I think that I would rather have a dog.
Even better,
the robot wouldn't take out their bad day at home on their patient,
would do offensive jobs (like diaper changing, etc) as often as needed and promptly,
wouldn't need criminal background checks,
and wouldn't call in every payday or when they win 400 bucks in the lotto.
ping
That's exactly what came to my mind! Classic skit.
"And Robots are strong. Their claws are made of metal - and they hurt."
----You haven't seen anything until you see this one.
TURN YOUR VOLUME ON.
http://www.androidworld.com/prod19.htm
I wonder if the robot can feed lots of cats?
bump for later view.
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