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Researchers Scrambling To Build Ebola-Fighting Robots
Lucas123 (935744) writes U.S. robotics researchers from around the country are collaborating on a project to build autonomous vehicles that could deliver food and medicine, and telepresence robots that could safely decontaminate equipment and help bury the victims of Ebola. Organizers of Safety Robotics for Ebola Workers are planning a workshop on Nov. 7. that will be co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Texas A&M, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of California, Berkeley. "We are trying to identify the technologies that can help human workers minimize their contact with Ebola. Whatever technology we deploy, there will be a human in the loop. We are not trying to replace human caregivers. We are trying to minimize contact," said Taskin Padir, an assistant professor of robotics engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
I was crunching the numbers yesterday to determine if it would be cheaper for the US military to just rent Carnival cruise ships* for 1 month than it would be for them to build hospital beds(it was). This was ignoring the force multiplier of immediate delivery.
*($50/person a day average)
They can't even afford enough body bags. Whatever people come up with has to be more than just "better". It has to be cheaper than the current solutions over the relevant time frames.
People in protective suits are way better at this role.
would be an appropriate role, unless religion gets in the way.
Wouldn't a vaccine be a better use of research money?
I have some of these robots already, they were developed in partnership with Inertia Labs of Battlebots fame. Please tell me how I can contact these folks so that I can hand the technology and protoypes over! I'm serious! http://www.robots-everywhere.c...
Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.
I was thinking of heavily armed robots patrolling the areas around infested areas, making sure no-one gets out to spread the disease...
See for yourself.
Lisias@Earth.SolarSystem.OrionArm.MilkyWay.Local.Virgo.Universe.org
In the most heavily affected areas, terrible hygene contributes directly to Ebola. Most of this is a direct result of things like tribal healers or mysticist traditions that involve the direct handling of and exposure to the bodily fluids of the deceased. Religion has also compounded efforts to treat ebola victims as some tribes have spiritual leaders that insist quarantine teams and hospitals are demons or not to be trusted. Among other diseases, Its why eradicating polio in africa has become an almost impossible effort as the oral treatment is widely considered to be a secret plan to cause sterility. We have the same issues in america, albeit to a lesser extent with anti-vaccination conspiricists and seventh day adventists that refuse to immunize their children or set foot in a hospital.
This is controversial but it should be said. but the biggest problem, religion, cant be solved with technology because religious zealots dont operate logically.
Good people go to bed earlier.
Ebola is a virus, if a person survives the disease they are apparently immune to at least the same strain. Training those people to provide care seems like a more viable option.
I can just see groups of robots slowly rolling down the cobblestone streets announcing, in typical monotoned robot-voice fashion, "BRING...OUT...YOUR...DEAD..."
Someday, children will sing songs about it. In the meantime, please get off my plane. TY.
about jaegers and kaiju
I have a finished development of simple, quick to build, cheap, energy efficient open source distilled water generator, which can be built by every layman capable of reading English. I reckon it might help those underequipped hospitals get freshly sterilized distilled water for medical purpose while fighting Ebola.
http://ronja.twibright.com/distillcooker/
In the field of DIY open source home made physical products I have 16 years of experience, 3 scientific articles in international collaboration with a university published on international conferences, 26 citations, 2000 estimated installations and 153 registered installations. My project is a subject of sociology doctoral thesis on a swedish university and this university paid a 1/2 year travel grant to field study my project by their sociologist. I have one project currently pending for release. My project is covered by a Wikipedia article.
"We are trying to identify the technologies that can help human workers minimize their contact with Ebola."
I think I already identified the technologies. I believe it's plastic foil.
I have 16 years experience in publishing open source DIY technology. It would be easy for me to design a cheap reliable DIY suit and visor against Ebola that every layman can easily make in short time using just common household items.
In the field of DIY open source home made physical products I have 3 scientific articles in international collaboration with a university
published on international conferences, 26 citations, 2000 estimated installations and 153 registered installations. My project is a subject of sociology doctoral thesis on a swedish university and this university paid a 1/2 year travel grant to field study my project by their sociologist. I have one project currently pending for release. My project is covered by a
Wikipedia article.
I currently have a working cheap, fast, reliable and strong plastic foil welding technology which requires only common household items. I successfully designed and manufactured an air conditioning extension duct with it.
If anyone would be interested in discussion and/or support youre welcome on the Twibright Labs IRC or my e-mail (web site -> Contact):
http://twibright.com
Greetings,
Karel Kulhavy, MSc.
Here religion seem to cause death. An interesting question for me is, why religion wasn't already eliminated by natural selection.
By the way my latest effort to combat bad hygiene through simple technology: http://ronja.twibright.com/distillcooker/
Well, this poor guy would be out of a job now, wouldn't he?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I should have moved to Madagascar when I had the chance.
My mother always said that the big problem with Africa is that the majority of people are allergic to soap and water.
US Robotics? I can see it now.
Robot rolls up to a patient and says:
BEEEEBEEEEE buhhhhbhhhhhh weeeeeow weeeeow wah KSHHHHHHHHHHH
www.phys.org/news/2014-10-germ-zapping-robot-war-ebola-video.html
... is a safe and effective palindrome.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
Why does the rest of the world have to save them .../quote.
Because people like you with IQ 70 don't know the answer to that question?
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
U.S. robotics researchers from around the country are collaborating on a project to build autonomous vehicles that could deliver food and medicine, and telepresence robots that could safely decontaminate equipment and help bury the victims of Ebola
I'm glad to hear the folks at U.S. Robotics have found something useful to work on, given how the dial-up modem business has tanked.
#DeleteChrome
Don't they know of microbial fuel cells?
US Robotics, do they still exist?
no, I don't have a sig
Nobody gets infected delivering food and meds. Nice marketing ploy though.
The Japanese have been working on nursing robots for years and are not there yet so I can't see how anyone else can do better faster and produce a unit that is affordable while staying operational in dirt floored hospitals. That is within the next couple of years, after that we will have vaccines ready and a couple of million less people alive. i.e. It can't be done in a time frame that would make them relevant.
Great, until the robots get the e-b0la computer virus.
Table-ized A.I.
A cute idea, that will take longer to create that the problem will exist. But lets look at some the requirements. With a 3 hour charge on some battery pack; change every 2 hours. The humanoid torque engineering is fairly stright forward. Self balancing. Record all movements, audio, and visual; straight forward. Be repairable, or parts replaceable. Use them initially as a type of drone.
Enjoy
Barack
Obama's
Legacy
America.
We have the US Army with squads armed with kerosene flame-throwers to kill all suspected Ebola infected infiltrators.
It is obvious that the Taliban have chop-shop engineered the current species of Ebola for use as a weapon of mass distraction against us.
As passengers on international flights de-plane they will be incinerated on-spot by US Army flame-trhower squads.
All international airlines will be held libel for clean-up of the chard carcasses.
it is called airplanes and parachutes
UAV robot to capture the fruit bat that's suppose to be the original of Ebola.
If people don't have food, they go back to hunt for fruit bat. The cycle never end.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
"We are trying to identify the technologies that can help human workers minimize their contact with Ebola." said Taskin Padir, an assistant professor of robotics engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
That technology exists: protective clothing, properly used, and sanitary waste disposal. If you can't get that, you won't be able to get robots. If you have it but cannot organize its correct use, there is an effective solution, but it doesn't involve robotics.
Spread it to the rich.