New robot to assist elderly at home
- 20 April 2009
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| The RobuLAB |
French robotics specialist Robosoft and SRI International have demonstrated a new service robot designed to assist the elderly at home.
The RobuLAB, is able to navigate, follow and assist people moving from room to room using SRI Karto navigation software.
The robot is aimed at developers and integrators building home-centric service robots. Robosoft predicts these may become part of everyday life for the ageing population within the next five years.
Vincent Dupourqué, chief executive of Robosoft said: “The market for home centric robots that provide assistance to the elderly is one of our priorities.
“We’ve chosen to equip this robot with SRI’s Karto localisation technology. Beyond the technical quality of this software, we see the collaboration with SRI as a major plus for developing our activities in the US.”
Robosoft and SRI joined forced in 2008 with the goal of developing innovative commercial offerings in the home-centric service robot market.
Robosoft worked with SRI to integrate SRI’s Karto navigation system software on the RobuBOX, a module programmed using Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio.
Doug Bercow, director of business development at SRI said: “A core requirement for any home-centric robot application is the ability to navigate interior spaces both safely and reliably.
“We are very pleased that Robosoft selected SRI’s navigation software, which leverages existing navigation technologies that have been validated in military and transportation robotics and can easily transfer to robots for residential use.”
The development of the RobuLAB is the latest development in a three-year phase focusing on a turnkey solution with technology suppliers and partners, with the intention of a subsequent large scale deployment.
The proof-of-concept demonstration was shown at the 6th annual RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition that took place April on the 15th and 16th of April in Boston, Massachusetts.
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