Patrick Mulvihill Yes I would agree, a lazy piece of journalism that happily promotes gadgets without many real world solutions. Kevin Doughty Maybe the article could have been retitled "Granny vests with smarts friends and robot pods" (or any combination of the words" - nobody would have noticed the difference. One day journalists will understand that the real world needs some fresh ideas that are made attractive by the right words. Methinks we might be a few years away from that, but would encourage someone to write an article that talks about future developments without using the word "smart". Clive... Continue Reading
Search Results for darpa robot challenge
Sensory feedback adds to prosthetics and situational awareness
There have been a number of prosthetics developed in recent years that directly connect with nerves, but their drawbacks have included deterioration of the nerve-prosthetic connection over time and lack of reliability in acting like a natural limb. With over 2,000 American military personnel suffering major amputations since 2000, the US Department of Defense’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is working to advance better nerve-connected prosthetics through the RE-NET–Reliable Neural-Interface Technology–program. DARPA uses nerve/muscle interfaces to give amputees feedback and improve control (Gizmag) For the sight-impaired, the Russian company Oriense is extending its technology that assists robots to avoid... Continue Reading
Robots go squishy, exoskeletons do not, and here’s your drink
...TTA 27 July 12) Honda begins leasing Walking Assist Exoskeleton (Gizmag) And after all this, wouldn’t you like a drink? Coming right up…. Cornell University’s Personal Robotics Lab adapted a Willow Garage PR-2 to serve you a beer or your favorite beverage. For a robot, anticipating human actions is a real challenge. That simple top-up of a drink can, if actions are not correctly interpreted, mean a big spill. So the Cornellians programmed the robot with 120 3D videos of people in everyday tasks, broken down into subtasks that the robot then recompiles into models of different activities, and then... Continue Reading
Boys win Lego award for medication reminder robot and app (Ireland)
It’s great to see young people working as an effective team in developing technology – although it is not clear from the article what the robot element does. However, isn’t it time that there was more recognition in the media that the issues around prompting and monitoring medication compliance are more complicated than just how to get the person to receive a reminder? Dublin boys win Lego award for robot reminding people to take medicines. The Journal.... Continue Reading
Robots in older adult care: a debate
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20disrupt-pic2-tmagArticle.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]An article in The New York Times ‘Bits’ tech blog has raised debate on the appropriate role of robots in care for older adults. Illustrated by a picture of two PARO robots being recharged (a strange sight indeed) and a lead about the movie ‘Robot & Frank’ [TTA 23 Aug 12], it discusses the ethics of robots (and robotic pets) in care for the elderly versus humans which continues in the comments. One position is that it is not ethical to entrust your aging loved one’s care to a machine, and that human care is always preferable... Continue Reading
The Friday robo-alert: Five ways robots are invading hospitals
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ri-man.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]Having watched the delightful ‘Forbidden Planet’ (1956) on Turner Classic Movies last night, marking the debut of the robot paragon Robby the Robot, this overview of hospital robotics from VentureBeat is on point. No Robbies here (despite our picture, this article does not cover robots that lift or design dresses with options of diamonds, emeralds or star sapphires) but does highlight: Germ and infection reduction (the ultraviolet Xenex) Remote consult robots (iRobot’s RP-VITA, now FDA approved) Prosthetics (BioOM prosthetic ankle) Surgical robots Therapeutic robots for the elderly (PARO, which is a ‘1.0’) Previously in TTA: RP-VITA’s FDA... Continue Reading
Healthcare IT–New York’s Next Big Thing
...day of the meeting graduated eight startups (see ‘Related’ and video) with $300,000 of funding plus three provider pilots; and VC funds such as New Leaf Venture Partners. Updated 14 May The challenges to this rosy forecast for early stage companies are many, especially for those locating and seeking business in a competitive market such as New York . Serge Loncar, who has spent the past seven years building his startup, CareSpeak, identified a group around data: generating data that demonstrate clinical efficacy; accumulating the data over a long time and the gap between business people and clinicians around obtaining... Continue Reading
An ‘Office of mHealth’ a solution for FDA gridlock? (US)
...In its good intentions to speed mHealth approvals by creating a framework plus monetary incentives, it is not powerful or independent enough to slice through or bypass various turfs. What would be revolutionary is simplification. Why not an independent unit that draws from FDA, FCC and HHS, but has priority and license to cut through red tape? But that would require major giving up of ground–and with this Federal Government, that ain’t gonna happen. Add to it that the most innovative work–and usage– is being done at DOD (DARPA, T2) and the VA, and the alphabet soup becomes goulash. Wall... Continue Reading
ROI in telemedicine and telehealth? Outlook unclear.
...it, “that’s the challenge, and it was the primary focus of this year’s ATA conference. The pilots are gone, the possibilities and proposals are old. It’s time to target the telemedicine and mHealth programs that are working and to explain why they are…” As GlobalMed’s Roger Downey less delicately put it, “It’s like pinning Jell-O to a wall”–but getting specific as to what should be done in the market helps. Not quite as blithe as the headline. ROI? To some of the industry’s top vendors, that’s just three letters. Of course, EHR implementation continues to be the Rodney Dangerfield of... Continue Reading
Microgripping and touching robots
Need that tissue sample, doctor? You may be laying aside your scalpel and forceps for a swarm of microgripping robots that you place and retrieve. David H. Gracias, PhD. and his Johns Hopkins team has developed star-shaped nickel metal discs of only 300 micrometers in size which snip bits of tissue. Using a magnetic catheter, the microgrippers are then gathered and removed–hopefully. Gizmag; study in Gastroenterology. Last week, the TakkTile, this week, piezotronic transistors. Thousands of them arrayed, and designed to give robots–and touchscreens–that extra and almost human edge in touch sensitivity. The transistors in thin, flat material can sense... Continue Reading
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