Gizmodo
As we slowly evolve into a race of stringy, weak and pale human beings who rarely get up from in front of whatever screen we're in front of, we'll need robots to help do the heavy lifting that we used to be able to do before we allowed our muscles to atrophy through generations of laziness. Luckily, Japan has got our backs.
A team of researchers at University of Tokyo have created a human-sized android that can use sensors to pick up packages and out-of-commission people and carry them around. They hope that the androids will be able to be used in nursing homes and at moving companies in the future. Sounds good to me. I was looking for yet another reason to not exercise.
Android shows off people-lifting skills [Pink Tentacle]
Comments
If only I could get one to lift me out of bed in the morning.....
Yeah, that'll never work. You put a person in pain in those arms, and the first time they wince in pain, you think the robot is going to compensate for the shift in weight?
I work with K-12 schools and the ones with special needs kids (mental/physical retardation) often have serious workers' comp issues because some of these kids have to be moved from place to place and it's a back-killer for individuals to do it on a regular basis. Though I doubt this will be affordable in the near future for them, it's a welcome advancement.
Gravity...why fight it?
"... and then the victim awoke, screamed in horror and died from a heart attack."
They better dress these things up to look like some giant cuddly teddy bear or Disney character (actually, that might have the same effect)... you get my point.
This might be good for certain types of hazardous rescue situations. (An unconscious crash victim who is lying next to a tanker truck that might explode at any minute, for example.) But to be useful in those types of situations, it would need to be able to move around on rough terrain. It would also need to be readily available and easy to use on short notice.
Those metal fingers look a little too sharp for my comfort.
That's right, robots to take care of the elderly and bedridden.
When do we get those pods from the matrix to process the undesirables again?
They lifter robots are here to protect you from the terrible secret of space.
Looks like a great way to welcome people who just woke up from a coma.
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