Robo-doc: Toyota unveils futuristic mechanical 'health workers' to help disabled patients out of bed
- Gadgets will ease the physical burden on moving patients
- Professor of rehabilitation says machines will help people recover more quickly
Plans for high-tech robot 'nurses' capable of lifting disabled patients out of bed or helping them walk have been unveiled by car manufacturer Toyota.
Revealing experimental ambitions for mechanical healthcare, the auto giant showcased two sophisticated gadgets to tackle the problems of a rapidly-ageing population coupled with staff shortages in the healthcare sector.
The Independent Walk Assist robot - a computerised metallic leg brace designed to help with rehabilitation - and the Patient Transfer Assist, which can transport the bed-ridden to the toilet, were unveiled during a press conference in Tokyo.
High-tech healthcare: Fujita Health University Professor Eiichi Saito demonstrates the prowess of the Independent Walk Assist robot during a news conference in Tokyo
Eiichi Saitoh, a professor in rehabilitation medicine whose right leg was paralysed by polio, took to the stage to demonstrate the capacity of the machines.
Strapping the 'walk assist' to his own limb - and wearing a battery pack on his back - Professor Saitoh was able to bend his knee as required, enabling him to rise from a chair and walk more naturally than when using his current walking frame.
He was even able to walk up and down stairs using the device.
The second gadget - the patient transfer machine - showed how the bed-ridden could be taken from the ward to the bathroom, easing the physical burden on nurses moving patients.
The padded mobility aid can move patients around with
Sister-matic: The prototype Patient Transfer Assist robot performs the role of a nurse, helping the bed-ridden and disabled to the toilet
Easy does it: The machines could ease the heavy physical burden on nurses moving patients - and it could also free up staff
The future of healthcare? A demonstration shows how the robots help patients use the toilet, with a little assistance from a nurse
Toyota hopes to introduce the devices sometime in 2013 and believe it has great potential in Japan, one of the world's most rapidly-ageing nations.
After trialling the machines with patients, Professor Saitoh
said he was convinced they would help patients recover more quickly from ailments which impede mobility, such as strokes.
He added: 'It may be difficult to predict the future, but the era of an aging society is definitely coming. 'We need partner robots to enrich our lives.'
Mobility machine: The professor shows how one contraption helps with movement, walking and using stairs
General Manager Akifumi Tamaoki, general manager of Toyota, said the commercial models would be smaller and lighter than the prototypes, and that more testing was needed on reliability and safety.
He added: 'We define gentle and smart machines as partner robots.'
Toyota is not the only auto company seeking to move into the healthcare industry. Rival Honda has also developed leg devices to help with people's mobility.
Details of prices and plans for product sales have not yet been decided, Toyota said.
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