Worried About Getting Old? Get a Robot to Help
From: Globe and Mail (Canada) - 07/20/2007
By: Erin Anderssen

Roboticists such as Stanford University's Sebastian Thrun believe
rapidly-evolving robots could be the key to preserving the quality of life
for Canada's elderly population, which faces the inevitability of receding
independence as age wears down their faculties. Thrun uses the example of his
father, who underwent a quick decline after he was deemed unfit to drive, as
a case that robotic companions, caregivers, and other mechanical assistants
could help prevent. The Stanford scientist is concentrating on the
development of a self-guiding robot vehicle to be field-tested in experiments
such as DARPA's Grand Challenge competition. Meanwhile, Alex Mihailidis of
the University of Toronto is testing artificially intelligent caregivers
designed to help people with cognitive dysfunction, such as a computer system
linked to a camera-equipped bathroom that reminds Alzheimer's patients to
wash their hands. Major steps have been taken in robot vision systems;
scientists at the University of British Columbia have devised a machine that
can map out the contours of its surroundings instead of blindly measuring
distances from objects via sensors and infrared. An increase in sensor
intelligence and computer speed has helped enable the relatively inexpensive
and fast processing of massive data sets by robots. Humanoid machines are
thus far restricted by their high cost and limited practicality. Many
researchers say the challenge of releasing such robots into the world is
focused on ethical and legal ramifications, such as who should be held
accountable when a machine makes a mistake. 

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Links:
Sebastian Thrun
http://robots.stanford.edu/

Grand Challenge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darpa_grand_challenge

Alex Mihailidis
http://www.ot.utoronto.ca/iatsl/people/amihailidis.htm

A home that helps us "age in place"
http://www.torontorehab.on.ca/newsite/research/mihailidis.htm
