Robots to Take Load as the World Ages
Australian IT (09/09/08)
Foo, Fran

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Rodney
Brooks believes that in less than 50 years robots will be deployed in all
aspects of everyday life. He says the aging population and looming skills
shortage will eventually force people to turn to robots for aid with simple
tasks. "Around the world, the ratio of the elderly to working-aged people is
changing dramatically," says Brooks, who also sits on the board of NICTA,
Australia's Information and Communications Technology Research Centre of
Excellence. "Not only are social security funds going to get even more stressed
as the number of people paying into the system decreases, the services that
older people need won't be there or will come at a premium." Brooks says there
are companies working to design robots capable of doing the low-level grunge
work in hospitals, such as collecting dirty sheets and moving around equipment,
to allow nurses to spend more time on patient care. Brooks notes that
improvements in robo tics technology are delivering early results. For example,
InTouch Technologies has developed technology that enables doctors to visit a
patient without having to be physically present. Using a laptop and high-speed
Internet connection, doctors and patients can see each other through a robot
stationed by the patient's bed. The robot, remotely controlled by the doctor,
can move around the patient's room and conduct certain tasks such as checking
the patient's vital signs. In addition to health care, Brooks expects robots to
become common in other areas such as retail.
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