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Feds Creating Robots for Old People
The Washington Free Beacon ^ | December 12, 2014 | Elizabeth Harrington

Posted on 12/13/2014 12:04:11 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

The federal government is financing the creation of robots that can assist the elderly and make sure they are eating healthily.

A nearly $800,000 project from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is pairing the University of Pennsylvania with a robot company to create the machines, which will be able to deliver glasses of water to senior citizens.

The government said that the project is necessary due to a demographic crisis in America where soon there will not be enough young people to take care of their elders.

“This Partnership For Innovation project develops and tests the use of service robots to monitor and improve health of the elderly,” the grant for the project, awarded in August, states. “The growing elderly population coupled with low birth rates in the developed world is creating a crisis in healthcare. The number of senior citizens is outgrowing the number of working-age adults to care for them.”

“In the U.S. alone, the number of seniors over age 65 is projected to double from year 2000 to 2030, reaching 71.5 million,” it continued. “With the scarcity of care options available, affordable robots are a welcome solution for assisting elders with small tasks that would normally be done by a caregiver.”

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, led by Mark Yim, a professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) department, are joining with Savioke, a California-based company that is building robots for the services industry.

The robot developed by the NSF project will be able to perform a “limited set of elder-relevant manipulation tasks,” including “picking up dropped items or filling a water glass.” The machine will also be used for data collection on seniors’ health.

“This mobile manipulator robot will be used to perform service tasks, such as delivering water to elders,” the grant said. “The data gathered by these robots and how elders use them in the field will provide information about how robots can help create a larger data-driven health monitoring system.”

“While helping elders with activities of daily living in an elder care facility, the system learns about them,” it added. “It can then do things such as help ensure that they are eating or drinking healthily.”

The project, which is expected to continue until 2017 and has cost $799,860 so far, is building off of Savioke’s robots, including the recently released “SaviOne.”

SaviOne provides room service to guests at an Aloft hotel in Cupertino, Calif. The machine looks like a moving trash can with an iPad on top, and makes beep noises to sound like a robot.

The company calls SaviOne its “robot butler,” and encourages people to take selfies with it, like this hotel guest, who was disappointed after paying $300 a night only to find the robot out of order.

The University of Pennsylvania is currently working on adding a “prismatic joint arm” to Savioke’s robots.

“We are passionate about delivering easy-to-use yet sophisticated robots that can help people,” the company says on its website.

Savioke believes that personal robots can help people to “achieve their potential,” and wants them “anywhere people sleep or eat.”

“Over time, personal robots will help people to achieve their potential, enhancing our strengths, overcoming our weaknesses, and endowing us with new capabilities we are just beginning to imagine,” they said. “We are inspired by people who use technology to overcome disabilities, and we believe that robots have the potential to make all of our lives better.”

Savioke’s CEO, Steve Cousins, formerly was president of Willow Garage, a robot company that helped found the Robots for Humanity initiative. Robots for Humanity was successful in helping Henry Evans, who suffered a debilitating stoke at 40 years old leaving him mute and quadriplegic.

“It took me several years, but with the help of an incredibly supportive family I finally decided life was still worth living,” Evans told an audience in a lecture 3,000 miles away in Washington, D.C., from his bed in California. “I became fascinated with using technology to help the severely disabled.”

Through robotic technology, Evans is now able to communicate, shave, open his refrigerator, and fly drones, only with the movement of his head.

A Japanese company has already developed robots that are used as companions for the elderly. “Paro,” is designed to resemble a baby harp seal, and elderly residents at a California retirement community mistook the robot for an animal.

The NSF is also investing in machines for children, committing $10 million to build robots that will act as kids’ “personal trainers,” in an effort to influence their behavior and eating habits.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; Japan; News/Current Events; US: California; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: children; cupertino; demographicwintet; disabilities; elderly; health; irobot; lowbirthrate; nannystate; nsf; nutrition; robots; savioke; savione; upa
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Well, I am 66 and I have recently found that I can get a 2015 Porsche Boxster S (roadster) for much less and it will get from 0 to 60 in about 4.3 seconds. Oh, cup holders are included.


41 posted on 12/13/2014 3:08:55 PM PST by Gator113 (Cruz, Lee, and Sessions speak for me.... most anyone else is just noise.)
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To: RedMDer

Mom, the robot has granny in a headlock again?


42 posted on 12/13/2014 3:33:41 PM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Darksheare

LOLOLOL!!


43 posted on 12/13/2014 3:36:36 PM PST by RedMDer (I don't listen to Liars but when I do I know it's Barack Obama.)
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To: FourtySeven; RedMDer; Chode

“I am to serve man! It is my primary function! Do not be alarmed by the utensils, it is all part of the serving!”
It’s a cookbook.


44 posted on 12/13/2014 3:38:47 PM PST by Darksheare (Those who support liberal "Republicans" summarily support every action by same.)
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To: Mears

I would love to have a robot to make tea or fetch beer or vacuum

A mechanical slave or servant ......... wow

I wonder if it will be covered by my medicare advantage?


45 posted on 12/13/2014 3:43:41 PM PST by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc.;+12, 73, ..... Obama is public enemy #1)
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To: Darksheare
heh heh heh yup...
46 posted on 12/13/2014 3:51:04 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
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To: Darksheare; FourtySeven; Chode

I am here to serve Mankind

47 posted on 12/13/2014 3:58:00 PM PST by RedMDer (I don't listen to Liars but when I do I know it's Barack Obama.)
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To: RedMDer
there it is...
48 posted on 12/13/2014 4:05:13 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
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To: Chode

Yes, Trust me..... It won’t even hurt. Not a smidgen.


49 posted on 12/13/2014 4:12:07 PM PST by RedMDer (I don't listen to Liars but when I do I know it's Barack Obama.)
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To: MasterGunner01; Darksheare

This is engineering, not science.

I wouldn’t be too worried; I mean, it’s not like any of us ever had problems due to buggy software.


50 posted on 12/13/2014 4:14:33 PM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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To: gaijin
Contraception, spaying, abortion and buggery.

Better futures through.... waitaminnit! Where's our futures?

51 posted on 12/13/2014 5:07:12 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o (To err is human, but to really screw up requires digital technology.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The federal government is financing the creation of robots that can assist the elderly and make sure they are eating healthily.

Do what? Break your jaw open and cram cauliflower down your throat?

52 posted on 12/13/2014 5:41:33 PM PST by Mike Darancette (AGW-e is the climate "Domino Theory")
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To: Darksheare
Robots for or from?

Hummmm ... Maybe Einstein will walk again?
Think Albert might like that.

53 posted on 12/13/2014 6:15:33 PM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

“I’m a robot from the government and I’m here to help you granny...”


54 posted on 12/13/2014 6:28:26 PM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat Party!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Get me off this ride.
I’m volunteering to go to Mars.


55 posted on 12/13/2014 6:30:58 PM PST by right way right (America will reject the suck of Socialist Freedumb, one way or another.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"The federal government is financing the creation of robots that can assist the elderly and make sure they are eating healthily."

Leave it to the government to devise an advanced milking machine that is not designed for cows.
56 posted on 12/13/2014 7:20:38 PM PST by clearcarbon
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Uh-oh. BilltheDrill versus the Fembots. I’m outnumbered but dang it, a feller’s gotta do what a feller’s gotta do.


57 posted on 12/13/2014 7:26:42 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Thanks for the ping!


58 posted on 12/13/2014 8:55:22 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Slings and Arrows
Got it. The same kind of programmers who wrote HealthCare.gov are writing it for the robots? I don't find that very reassuring at all. What could go wrong?
59 posted on 12/13/2014 10:06:36 PM PST by MasterGunner01
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To: MasterGunner01

What could go wrong indeed?

[Hope my sarcasm wasn’t too subtle. ;^)]


60 posted on 12/13/2014 10:15:46 PM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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