Robots Taking Over – As Nursing Aides
October 11, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Technology
The Jetsons? R2D2? The end of humanity as we know it?
Any nurse or nurse’s aide can tell you that lifting patients is one of the physically toughest parts of the job. Training stresses how to care for your back, but lifting a 
patient in ideal conditions isn’t always possible. And, often you want to lift a patient but you don’t have someone close by to help – and it’s not feasible for you to do it yourself.
Well, trust the Japanese to come up with a solution. Jetsons move over: meet the robot nurse.
This cute looking robot, RIBA (not the robot in this photo), has been designed to use its “arms” to gently lift a patient and hold him or her as the robot moves to the destination, where it lowers the patient. Of course, the robot can’t work alone and a human has to help guide the robot and help support the patient’s head and provide comfort. As an added benefit, there’s a built in scale so the robot can weigh the patient at the same time.
To see what RIBA looks like and what he/she can do, click on the TV screen below to watch a news clip with the RIBA and the designer.
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Images: PhotoXpress.com, iStock.com
