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A Robot Carries Humans, Another One Plays Flute
Roland Piquepaille writes "The New Scientist says that a robot able to carry humans was demonstrated in Tokyo. The robot, developed at Waseda University in Tokyo and the Japanese robotics company tmsuk, 'uses 12 actuators to move forwards, backwards and sideways while carrying an adult weighing up to 60 kilograms (130 pounds).' It will be used 'in the fields of welfare, as an alternative to wheelchairs, which can go up and down stairs.' The Takanishi Laboratory carries other projects, including a flutist robot. More details and references are contained in this overview, which also includes a picture of the flutist robot in concert."
I push people down the stairs.
I am the shover robot - I shove people down the stairs
while carrying an adult weighing up to 60 kilograms (130 pounds)
Only 130lbs?! Looks like I'll be carrying the robot on my way out of the burning building.
-Valiss
What is needed is a robot that will help disabled people get in and out of bed. My aunt has a disabled child who is wheelchair bound and needs help getting in and out of bed. So when they get an all-purpose walking/moving/assisting robot that will do those tasks, then they'll have something with a BIG market!
Surely this Covers the climbing up stairs thing, not to mention the reaching high places, as well as not looking quite so conspicuous as being carried round by a dirty great robot when youre out shopping.
Pretty soon they'll be wanting voting rights and they'll be forming unions. Then Ford will have to outsource their car manufacturing overseas where the robots work for less and aren't held to the same stringent emissions standards we have here. It's just a downward spiral from here, folks...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Unbelievably old-hat. A flute-playing automaton was constructed before 1750. Search for Vaucanson (the inventor) and flute (the instrument)--it's no secret, though the current developers fail to mention this prior art.
I hope they are careful about shielding their electonics. I knew a guy who was a high level quadriplegic who steered his electic wheel chair with his chin. One day he was in a subway station and as a train came up the strong electromagnetic fields caused his chair to go geserk. He was *very* frightened. Someone grabbed his chair and turned it off.
No electrons were harmed creating this post, though some may have been subjected to electrical and/or magnetic fields.
A better image is available here.
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