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Japanese researchers have created a new robot nurse that looks like a giant teddy bear. It can lift elderly patients from wheelchairs and beds.
Robot for Interactive Body Assistance (Riba) has been developed by state-run Riken research center.This is the first robot in the world which can lift people in its arms.
Riba is designed with foam padded paws and can lift a weight up to 134 pounds. It can easily shift patients from beds to wheelchairs. The robot weighs around 400 pounds and has been provided with a teddy bear face so that it does not look imposing.
Riba has face and voice recognition features. It is also designed to respond to voice commands. Riken has not planned for immediate commercialization but will deploy the robots in the hospitals over the next five years.
The big bear robot is an upgraded version of Riken's Ri-Man robot. The Ri-Man was developed in 2006 and has the capacity to lift only 40 pounds. The better processors in Riba allow it to move quicker than Ri-Man.
The development of sophisticated robots in Japan is the result of its rapidly growing aging population.
Such kind of robots is surely going to reduce pressure on the shrinking human workforce to care for elderly citizens.
