Healthcare workers will no longer find taking care of elderly patients a difficult task, especially in a slip and fall situation in which the patient cannot recover on their own power. The good news is that researchers from Japan have introduced a robot that is able to lift a patient weighing 176 lbs off the floor and onto a wheelchair. This is a great way of relieving caretakers of strain and possibly further injury. This robot is now used in Japan and it was observed doing task at least 40 times per day already.
The newly- recruited caregiver is called RIBA 2, this robot is soft to the touch, moves around on wheels and responds to voice commands. It is equipped with rubber sensors, springs and improved joints at its base and lower back. It is able to crouch and lift a patient off a Japanese futon, a traditional mat placed on the floor.
The leader of the Robot Implementation Research Team, Shijie Guo, described the capability of the robot as follows:
It is able to pick up a person from the floor and place the patient on a wheelchair or a bed. The earlier robot could only lift 60 kg. but the new version is capable of lifting a weight of 175 lb. It is made of very soft material, of rubber, so it won’t hurt a person. To enable the robot to crouch and lift require a huge motor but the new version uses a spring.
RIKEN, a natural sciences research institute in Japan, and Tokai Rubber Industries consists of experts who will able to create this useful masterpiece. Stocks for Tokai are currently up 2%.
You can used your internet for more detailed diagrams and a video of RIBA 2.