Survivor Buddy Will Be Your Friend, Won’t Save You
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Wednesday, 4 of June , 2008 at 2:11 am
University of South Florida professor Robin Murphy has received a $500,000 grant from Microsoft to develop a robotic companion to be friends with people who find themselves stuck in uncomfortable situations. I’m not talking about airplane seats or blind dates; these robots would be designed for people stuck in disaster areas or pinned down by snipers. The “Survivor Buddy” would be able to maneuver into hard to reach or dangerous places, and could do all kinds of things to help you feel better. Like, play soothing music. Or let you video chat with loved ones. As far as actual, physical help… Well, the robot will be able to monitor your vital signs, and it can bring you some water, but don’t expect it to do much digging or drag you anywhere.
[ St. Petersburg Times ] VIA [ Smart-Machines ]
Category: Medical
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