Paper + Robots = Friends
I’ve been following the robotics company, Aldebaran Robotics, for awhile, and I would really love to work with robots. Always grateful for a play by play video to help me along.
Color me excited to make some paper robots!
Aldebaran Robotics makes humanoid robots and I’m very interested in application of them IRL. Just yesterday, The New York Times published an article about use of a therapeutic Huggable robotic teddy bear at Boston Children’s Hospital. Bear was created by Boston Children’s Simulator Program, in collaboration with MIT Artificial Intelligence wizard, Dr. Cynthia Breazeal. Breazeal is Kismet engineer and also director of the personal robots group at M.I.T.’s Media Lab.
Engineers and human factors researchers are studying the benefits of using these robots with young long term care patients. Popular Science also profiled RxRobots, who are creating and testing similar tools and an “educator, pain coach, companion” robot called MEDi. MEDi is especially useful in helping young patients to manage pain (and, I’m guessing the overall hospital experience). RxRobots say that the robot can be effective as it has been “programmed to use a variety of child friendly cognitive-behavioral strategies.”
I’m going to post my friends soon
References & Reads:
- Robotica
- HAL
- The Bear
- More about bear!
- Robot Caregivers
- “Cheery Robot Helps Kids…”
- Humanoid Hospital
- Top 10 Innovative Companies in Robotics
- Jalali Hartman, ONE Robot: Designed by the autistic community for autistic users
- Stephanie Pappas, What Robots Could Learn from a 2-Year-Old
XO,
H
Hannahloulou 