Toyota plans on building "bed to bed" robots?
Toyota is most likely the world's largest maker of "door to door" automobiles. Could they possibly become a maker of "bed to bed" robots too?Considering that Honda is building robots already, it's not hard to imagine Toyota starting to do so as well. In addition to the electric-wheelchair-with-a-brain known as Mobility Robot (MR), they've also created one that plays the violin.
The idea behind the MR is that elderly or infirmed individuals could be taken from their bed, up and down stairs, to their cars and back to bed... pretty much anything that a person would need, mobility-wise. And all on battery power. Of course, Toyota backed off when asked if their robot was better than Honda's.
[Source: International Herald Tribune via The Truth About Cars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ronnie 7:33AM (12/07/2007)
bed to bed robots? It's helpful for elders! I wonder how much the battery could cost. . .
http://cars.ozfreeonline.com
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Yggdrasilly 9:51AM (12/07/2007)
"infirmed?"
Well, I suppose it's better than "Physically challenged" or "Differently-abled."
When confronted with a choice of ghastly neologisms, pick the shortest.
Other'n that, props to JK for reporting on Japanese robot technology as a humane and rational way to improve care for its aging population, and not as the latest KWAZEE! robot story from the Land of the Rising Sun.
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