A new, special friend

Nexi is a robot developed by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She visited the Milano Senior Center in Melrose this week to allow her developers to conduct research on how she — the robot — interacts with seniors.



Jun Ki Lee, a researcher with the Personal Robots Group at MIT’s Media Lab in Cambridge, said Nexi is an MDS robot — Mobile, Dexterous and Social — meaning that she can move around on wheels (mobile) and pick up objects (dexterous). The “social” aspect comes from Nexi’s unique face, which is modeled after an actual human face, complete with eyes with eyelids, eyebrows and a mouth — all of which helped her land at number 17 on Time magazine’s list of the “Best Inventions of 2008.”

Truly amazing!

Robotic baby seal for elderly

It is little, cute and cuddly, loves being petted and responds to touch and speech by moving and making sounds. It even has a beneficial effect on people with dementia. Paro is the name of the creature, which is neither dog, cat nor rabbit. Paro is a seal - a robotic seal from Japan!

This original pet is a stuffed animal robot, developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Engineer Takanori Shibata said Paro prototypes are being tested in Japan and Sweden at nursing homes, and with autistic and handicapped children. "We know that pet therapy helps physically, psychologically and socially, and Paro does the same thing for people who are unable to care for a live pet," said Shibata. Paro may soon be tested in children's hospitals in the United States. It's expected to cost between $2,500 and $3,000.

The Best Robots of 2008

To fully understand the rapid development in robot technology it can be useful to view videos that demonstrate their abilities. The link below shows some extremely entertaining and fascinating robot demonstrations in several categories: Soccer, humanoid, self assembly, music, ornithopters, exoskeleton and rugged terrain.

Enjoy!
--> The Best Robots of 2008