Medical Robot

RIBA

RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (RTC) made RIBA for medical solutions. RIBA stands for Robot for Interactive Body Assistance and was developed by RIKEN and Tokai Rubber Industries. It was developed by integrating RIKEN's control, sensor, and information processing with TRI's material and structural design technologies. It is the first nursing-care robot that lifts up and sets down humans from beds and wheelchairs. It is able to do this through novel tactile guidance methods using high-accuracy tactile sensors.
Developers debated different hands off methods of controlling RIBA, but these weren’t practical for the delicate movements it had to perform. Instead the RIBA works through human-robot cooperation that doesn’t burden caretakers or patients. It was developed with, “a direct and intuitive ‘tactile guidance’ method, where the caregiver indicates the position, direction, and/or speed of the desired motion by directly touching the robot on the part that is concerned with the motion.” This method was inspired by the way a teacher or coach instructs the motion of a student through touch and directly guides the student’s motion when performing an action.
Three experiments were carried out to assess the current RIBA’s abilities; Handling heavy objects, motion control by touching, and patient transfer. In each case of handling heavy object test, the actual trajectory was within range of the desired trajectory. RIBA’s arms were made to allow 265 lbs., but have only been tested up to 139 lbs. Motion control by touching experiments found that force is better than sliding distance as the operation input for motion. When the operation in put was the pushing force, the adjustments were fine, but when the operation input was the sliding distance, adjustment was not frequent and the actual angle was sometimes moved past the desired angle. The final test of patient transfer, both caregivers made fine adjustments of RIBA’s position and motion. The patient was stable once lifted and no danger of dropping the patient was found.

Waw .. medical work is increasingly sophisticated now .. but is there any side effects that are dangerous for the body ???

Source : http://www.ampronix.com/blog/riba-robotic-nurse-assistant-medical-blog-news/