Robots In the Home May Help the Elderly

Nov. 19, 2008 — Home healthcare assistance for American seniors may be provided by helpful robots in the near future, experts predict.

It is an exciting time for innovations and improvements in medical equipment – including the use of robots. The reality of in-home robotic assistance that can aid and watch over the frail and elderly is swiftly approaching.

The uBOT-5 robot, is already capable of carrying out simple tasks while it monitors the home environment. The robot can even spot trouble, such as a person falling down and call 911 if necessary.

Stay Connected with Long Distance Loved Ones
A robotic device can bring a faraway loved one into a person's home via video Internet hook-up. The technology allows the caller's face to appear via video on the front of the robot's head. As a result, the virtual visitor can converse with their loved one while moving the robot around, doing some cleaning, for example, or retrieving a dropped TV remote.

"So, if I'm at work, and it's lunch hour and I want to poke in on Dad, I can get on the Internet and basically 'step inside' the robot," says uBOT-5 co-inventor Rod Grupen, Ph.D., who directs the Laboratory for Perpetual Robotics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass).

The device can be fully mobile which will allow virtual visits from several locations throughout the house, and beyond. For instance, "your granddaughter on the West Coast can get into the robot and visit with you outside in the garden, you can have a two-way conversation with audio/video, hold hands and go show them the flowers you just planted," Dr. Grupen says.

Further, any "authorized user" can jump into and guide the robot, Dr. Grupen says, "So, if you can't get to your doctor, your doctor can now come to you," he states. In fact, the UMass team hopes that the uBOT-5 will someday be capable of running simple medical tests, such as measuring blood pressure or blood sugar.

Design and Capabilities
The uBOT-5's design was inspired by the human body. Its myriad sensors mimic human eyes and ears, constantly scanning its environment. It is even programmed to detect and respond to worrisome aberrations, including a fallen, unresponsive human.

The robot's arms are each capable of handling 2.2-pound loads, and they can extend to reach high or pick things up off the floor (a dropped pill bottle, a package in a foyer, for example). The robot can lie prone to scoot itself under a bed (and then right itself), and it may even someday help with household cleaning and grocery shopping, Dr. Grupen says.

Researchers led by assistant professor Charlie Kemp, Ph.D., at Georgia Tech are making their own home-care robots, inspired by the agile intelligence of service dogs. "We're using service dogs to answer three important questions: What tasks would be good for a home robot to perform? How should people interact with the robot, to tell it to do these tasks? And how can the robot actually perform these tasks, given the complexities of the home?" Dr. Kemp says.

The new robot is being designed to move about and perform tasks such as opening drawers, turning doorknobs, and working light switches, Dr. Kemp says. Users indicate what they would like done by using a laser pointer, and homes are modified slightly to help the robot, just as homes are subtly tweaked to aid service dogs. "Things like tying a small towel to a doorknob" to facilitate grasping, Dr. Kemp explains.

Healthcare Shortages Spur A Growing Need
There is a large and growing need for robotic home assistants that might help care for the elderly or disabled and allow them to stay in their homes, Dr. Grupen believes. According to US Census figures, the number of Americans age 65 or over will double by 2030, and two-thirds will need some form of long-term care. At the same time, there is a dearth of nurses and home health-care aides to care for them; experts predict a shortage of 800,000 nurses by 2020.

"I think there's a real need," he says. "So, the hope is that people will support this sort of work. Then, we'll be able to deliver these things when people need them."

The Costs
The robot may not ever replace a great service dog, but Dr. Kemp notes that the average disabled American now pays $16,000 for a properly trained canine, and waiting lists now stretch for years.

Right now, the prototypes at UMass cost $65,000 apiece, but Dr. Grupen envisions a day when commercial versions would be sold for $5,000 plus a monthly Internet hook-up fee, much like today's computers

Always consult your physician for more information.