I've been meaning to do a post on robots and this post is the start of several on the topic. It's a topic close to my heart because my Mom has MS and is beginning to have trouble with certain tasks. I would love her to have a service dog but the waiting list for one is between five to seven years and it takes two years to train one. Too long. But what about a service robot?
If you have a disability, it's the basics that you have problems handling – stuff like picking things up, putting things down, and fetching things from across the room. Georgia Tech is working with dog trainers to duplicate eight to ten core functions that dogs currently handle. Rather than voice commands, the user points a laser at the object he or she wants the robot to handle.
This technology is the perfect segue to the robot servant à la Rosie on the Jetsons. An all-singing all-dancing robot would be great but advancements in robotics tend to focus on specific functions, which is easier to program and build. If it's possible to construct a helper robot that duplicates the core functions of a service dog, more people will get the help they need.
Hopefully the fruits of their labor will be available sooner than later. In the meantime, Mom's on the list.
Hat tip [Tom and the Innovation Report]
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