I hope they come out with robot guides for the blind that can replace guide dogs and the white cane soon. Hellen Keller once said what a blind person actually needs is a second self. A robot has the potential to become that second self, without making any demands on its user in return. Such a development would effectively make us totally independent.
Geetha ----- Original Message ----- From: "vishnu ramchandani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 2:31 PM Subject: [AI] Robots that help the disabled, and also those that play violin Robots that help the disabled, and also those that play violin AP Tokyo: Compared to a virtuoso, its rendition was a trifle stilted and, well, robotic. But Toyota's new robot plays a pretty solid Pomp and Circumstance on the violin. The five-foot-tall, all-white robot, shown Thursday, used its mechanical fingers to push the strings correctly and bowed with its other arm, coordinating the movements well. The company has already shown robots that roll around to work as guides and have fingers dexterous enough to play the trumpet. Katsuaki Watanabe, the President of Toyota, said robotics will be a core business for the company in coming years. They will test robots at hospitals, facilities and other places starting next year, he said. And the company hopes to put what it calls "partner robots" to real use by 2010, he said. "We want to create robots that are useful for people in everyday life," he said. Watanabe also presented a picture of the future of robotic health care. Wheelchair-like robots, called 'mobility robots', which were also displayed Thursday, would offer "bed-to-bed" services to people, including the elderly and the sick, just like cars take people "door-to-door." At the demonstration, a man got on a mobility robot, a motorised two-wheeled chair, and then scooted around. The moving machine can also go up and down slopes, and over bumps, without upsetting the person sitting on the chair, because the wheels could adjust to such changes. Toyota said it is working with universities to speed up robotics development. Get the freedom to save as many mails as you wish. To know how, go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
