NIH funds robot projects aimed at improving quality of life

The NIH has announced that it will spend $2.2 million to fund the development of robots that will help the elderly, the young and those with vision impairments, according to a press release issued by the research center.

As part of the National Robotics Initiative, the NIH will specifically fund three robots that work with people over the next 5 years.

“When the general public thinks about the research that NIH supports, they don’t usually imagine robots," Grace Peng, PhD, program director of Rehabilitation Engineering at the NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. "But robots have a tremendous potential to contribute to the health and well-being of our society, whether they are helping an elderly person engage in physical activity or promoting the curiosity of a child. These three highly innovative projects demonstrate the power of encouraging leaders in the field of robotics to focus their attention on solving issues that pertain to health.”

Xiangrong Shen, PhD, at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, is working on a robot walker to increase mobility in older adults. The robot has four legs and two modes, where the user can either walk within the robot or alongside the robot as the device carries a load. As detailed in the release, the robot uses "a 3-D computer vision-based sensing system to detect the user's motion and the environment." The robot will enhance mobility and reduce the need for assistance and home renovation.

Cang Ye, PhD, at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been funded for an assistive device that would help patients with visual impairments grasp objects. The device would be worn on a patient's hand and "uses computer vision to identify target objects in a user’s environment, determine misalignment between the user’s hand and the object, and then convey — via natural human-device interfaces — the hand motion needed to grasp the object." The device is intended to improve independent travel and grasping objects.

Cynthia Breazeal, PhD, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is developing "an autonomous, long-term social robotic companion for children that will promote and assess curiosity and a growth mindset through various interactions." The social robot will help children learn hard work and determination. Researchers will investigate the robot in a longitudinal study after the robot has been created.

Reference:

NIH. NIH funds development of robots to improve health, quality of life. http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funds-development-robots-improve-health-quality-life