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High-Tech Walkers Could Help Japan's Elderly Stay Independent
jfruh writes: You may have heard that Japan will deal with its aging population by relying more on robots. Osaka startup RT Works is showing what that might mean in practice: not humanoid robotic caregivers, but tech-enhanced versions of traditional tools like walkers. RT Works's walker automatically adjusts to help its user deal with hilly terrain, and can call for help if it moves outside a predefined range.
Why do we have to choose between a robotic care giver, and a robotic method of mobility? Why not have both?
"and get off my lawn!" BZZZZRP, **poof**
Table-ized A.I.
You can say that again. But don't forget that if you have some type of mental disorder when you grow old, it won't matter much. Not to mention, you will still not really be able to perform certain tasks.
I need to go to the grocery store now.
Emma, have you seen my onion? I can't go outside without an onion on my belt now, can I? Oh, and get me a nickle so I can buy a newspaper, my dear. Are we out of orange juice? Are you ready yet? We're going to miss our plane for Florida! Never mind your make-up, just grab your wig!
Oh, that darn voice thingy on the electro-typewriter is still active. Damn you, Steve Gates!
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Especially for the elderly, though it hurts none of us, it is vital to keep up the physical exertion that even walking provides.
Though an admittedly small sample, I've seen a number of elders get down on the motorized seat and never get back off.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Japan has an emperor, therefore ....
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
In order to be useful to people using walkers or in wheelchairs, buildings need to have ramps instead of, or along with stairs. I don't know about the rest of Europe, but there's a good reason you don't find ramps in England: until recently, adding ramps meant that the Daleks could get in. Of course, now that Daleks can levitate, that's no longer an issue.
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I'm 50 now, which makes me a decrepit old man by Slashdot standards...
I'm 65, and by my standards you're still a kid. I have a number of chronic medical conditions, including osteoporosis, but I still stand straight and don't need a walker, or even a cane. You don't have to be decrepit by the time you're ready to retire unless you don't try to take care of yourself or your health is considerably worse than mine. (Until recently, I was taking 33 pills/day, all but four by prescription.) Yes, it's nice to know that these devices may soon be available for those who need them, but it's even nicer to know that for now, at least, I'm not one of them.
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