New robot to reduce burden on care facilities
In an effort to cope with the challenges of an aging population, a new robot making use of the latest in sensor, control, information processing, mechanical and materials technology has been developed to assist personnel and patients at care facilities.
The product of joint research by RIKEN and Tokai Rubber Industries (TRI), the new robot, named RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance), is the first of its kind in the world, capable of safely lifting and moving a human patient of up to 61 kg from a bed to a wheelchair and back.
The task of lifting and moving a patient, carried out several times a day, is one of the most exhausting for care-givers. In assisting in this task, RIBA brings together cutting-edge sensor and information processing technology developed at RIKEN with materials technology developed at TRI, overcoming safety and performance limitations of its predecessor, an earlier model named RI-MAN. Using human-like arms equipped with high-precision tactile sensors and a body encased in a soft exterior of urethane foam, RIBA’s design guarantees patient safety and comfort.
As one part of a larger strategy to pursue advances in robot technology for care-giving support, the successful development of RIBA marks a critical step toward tackling the problems of an aging society. The RIKEN-TRI Collaborative Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (RTC), where RIBA was developed, envisions bringing robots like RIBA to market in the near future.
For more information, please refer to the website of the RIKEN-TRI
Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (http://rtc.nagoya.riken.jp/RIBA/index-e.html).
For more information, please contact
Dr. Toshiharu Mukai
Robot Research Robot Sensor Systems Research Team
RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research
Tel: +81-(0) 52-736-5867 / fax: +81-(0) 52-736-5868
Ms. Saeko Okada (PI officer)
Global Relations Office
RIKEN
Tel: +81-(0)48-462-1225 / Fax: +81-(0)48-467-9443
Email: koho@riken.jp
Media Contact
All latest news from the category: Power and Electrical Engineering
This topic covers issues related to energy generation, conversion, transportation and consumption and how the industry is addressing the challenge of energy efficiency in general.
innovations-report provides in-depth and informative reports and articles on subjects ranging from wind energy, fuel cell technology, solar energy, geothermal energy, petroleum, gas, nuclear engineering, alternative energy and energy efficiency to fusion, hydrogen and superconductor technologies.
Newest articles
Superradiant atoms could push the boundaries of how precisely time can be measured
Superradiant atoms can help us measure time more precisely than ever. In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen present a new method for measuring the time interval,…
Ion thermoelectric conversion devices for near room temperature
The electrode sheet of the thermoelectric device consists of ionic hydrogel, which is sandwiched between the electrodes to form, and the Prussian blue on the electrode undergoes a redox reaction…
Zap Energy achieves 37-million-degree temperatures in a compact device
New publication reports record electron temperatures for a small-scale, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device. In the nine decades since humans first produced fusion reactions, only a few fusion technologies have demonstrated…
