UMass project aims to ASSIST aging population
University of Massachusetts scientists have developed a new robot friend just for Grandma and Grandpa.
The “uBOT-5” can dial 911, do household chores, remind elders to take their meds and allow health-care workers and loved-ones to pay virtual visits via a built-in Web video monitor.
“In the next couple of years, there’s going to be an explosion of robots like this that I think are going to come pretty close to being ready for home use,” said Patrick Deegan, a graduate student at UMass-Amherst’s Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics and member of the uBOT-5 devlopment project ASSIST. The university announced the robot’s development this month.
A market for the robot is being created by U.S. demographics that will see 77 million baby boomers set to retire in the next 30 years - straining the resources of a health-care field charged with caring for an elderly population that far outnumbers those of past generations.
“We’d like to see a robot like the uBOT-5 being used in controlled situations like hospitals or nursing homes in the next five years,” Deegan said.
The uBOT-5 - equipped with a Web cam, a microphone and a touch-screen - allows doctors and other medical professionals to check on patients remotely. The robot also can apply a digital stethoscope to transmit information to doctors or EMTs.
While the uBOT-5 is far from cute and cuddly, its design is inspired by human anatomy, said Deegan.
With an an array of sensors that act as eyes and ears, the robot can detect human activity and “sense” when something is amiss, such as a fall. Its two Segway-style wheels mimic human legs, giving it greater dexterity than the clunkier, bottom-heavy robots found in many science labs today, he said.
The robot was developed in collaboration with western Massachusetts elder-care centers, which allowed the uBOT team to learn about the preferences of potential users - a preference for a robot that can do chores, for instance.
“They’ll provide the comfort of keeping your house clean, emptying the dishwasher or picking up the trash,” Deegan said.
The robot is now in the research and development phase. The university owns the intellectual property, but Deegan and his team are launching a company and hope to commercialize the robot for in-home use.
