The head of iRobot, Colin Angle, made a bold prediction at last month's annual Connected Health Symposium in Boston: In the future, robots will help the old and infirm live longer, more independent lives.
"The cost path we are on in health care is not sustainable," said Angle in his conference address. He noted that the elderly often suffer chronic health problems that can require assisted living programs or nursing home care. Even healthy elderly people may find common household tasks difficult.
So Angle and his associates are working on developing robots that can meet the needs of the elderly. These robots would have to remain flexible and adaptable in order to handle challenging tasks, such as moving around in a messy room, picking up unfamiliar objects or opening doors.
A health care robot could also deliver some medical care such as performing a rudimentary exam for doctors at a distance. Some basic functions are near at hand, but the full range of robotic health care may be 20 or 30 years away.
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