BERLIN--In the midst of America's raging debate on the future of health insurance, one man says he has a solution to out-of-control health care costs: more robots.
A prototype robotic telepresence "nurse."
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)Of course, this is coming from Colin Angle, a roboticist and CEO of iRobot, the company that makes both robotic vacuum cleaners and bomb-defusing gadgets currently in use by the U.S. military. At IFA here on Friday, he said that robotic telepresence devices, which would act like nurses in a person's home, could reduce the $2.2 trillion, or 17 percent of the U.S. GDP, currently spent on health care every year.
Angle insisted that when it comes to elderly people staying at home instead of moving to a nursing home, or a sick patients that don't need care such as surgery, "all of the things over time can be done with robots."
He's not talking about the kind of robot that the average person might think of, like Rosie from "The Jetsons" or Honda's Asimo. (In fact, Angle says those anthropomorphic style bots are "a technological marvel, but nearly, utterly useless.") Rather, the robotic nurses he has in mind look more like a machine than a man; more similar to the Roomba and Scooba household robots that Angle helped invent.
Instead of patients with chronic illnesses constantly going to a hospital for even minor treatments and checkups, a telepresence device could act as a proxy for the doctor to check in on them. The robot could examine, diagnose, and make sure a prescription is administered on the right schedule. The patient, in other words, wouldn't have to set foot in a hospital unless he or she needs care that is only available there.
The same model would cut the cost of nursing homes for aging people with a diminished ability to perform normal household tasks. In the future, robots are expected to be able to handle tasks such as daily medical reminders, cleaning the house, preparing food, and transportation.
The Roomba, from iRobot.
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)While robots aren't cheap, neither are hospital visits. And Angle says he's encouraged by the money that people are already spending on home automation systems and devices. He says that half a million people in the U.S. last year spent between $2,000 and $3,000 each on equipment such as security monitoring services, and that in the next three years, that number will jump to over 7 million. In other words, the idea of spending money to keep an eye on things in your home isn't a totally foreign concept.
Skeptical about robot "nurses"? Angle says he's heard that reaction before. "Our biggest problem is that nobody believes robots work. It's like science fiction," he said.
The sales of Roombas and Scoobas, and the $35 million order that iRobot took from the U.S. Army earlier this week certainly aren't fictional, but there's quite a ways to go before robots can actually do all the things he has in mind. The company's first product, the Roomba vacuum cleaner, took 10 years to develop, while its iConnectr telepresence robot is limited compared to what he envisions for the future.
"That's a start," he said. "I admit we've only taken the first few steps."
iRobot's Roomba, Scooba, and Dirt Dog are selling bundled for $900.
(Credit: iRobot)iRobot is offering deep discounts on its home products if you buy directly from its Web site.
We're wondering why, and it comes down to two possibilities, really.
One, they have newer, brighter, shinier models in the pipeline and need to unload old stock. Or, two, they're simply trying to get a head start on the holiday-season discounts expected from retailers, given the state of the economy.
Most recently, iRobot sent an e-mail letting people know it's offering $50 off its Scooba 380 model if you buy it before October 24. It normally sells for $450. That discount is presumably in preparation for the new Scooba 385 that it promises is "coming soon" on its European Web site.
iRobot is also offering $25 to $100 off its Roomba models when you buy two.
But if you have a lot of cash lying around, you could save even more. The company has a series of value packs in which they'll give you three robots for the price of two.
If you buy a Roomba 570 vacuuming robot and Scooba 380 floor-cleaning robot for $900 directly from the company Web site, for example, iRobot will throw in its Dirt Dog shop vacuum for free. They also offer combos that include the Looj gutter-cleaning robot.
Considering that averages out to $300 per robot, it's really not a bad deal.
(Credit:
Roomba)
When the iRobot Scooba first came out a couple years ago, I remember thinking, "Dang, that's just the kind of floor-sweeping/vacuuming/mopping gizmo we could use here at Camp Cheapskate" (which tends to be a messy place). But then I saw the $400 price tag and grudgingly reached for my trusty old broom.
Well, proof positive that good things come to those who wait, Woot has the Scooba for just $99, plus a very fair $5 for shipping. However, as with all Woot.com deals, it's today (Black Friday) only, and when they're gone, they're gone. Act fast or mop your own floors for eternity.
iRobot pretty much has both ends of the robot spectrum covered: cute, household cleaning robots and industrial-strength military robots. Monday's announcement that iRobot and Boeing will team up on a military/civilian/commercial robot falls somewhere in the middle.
(Credit:
iRobot)
The Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle, nicknamed SUGV Early, will weigh less than 30 pounds. That's smaller than iRobot's line of robots currently in use in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to search buildings, caves and tunnels and disarm Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
The SUGV Early will perform reconaissance and gather intelligence while operators stand out of harm's way. iRobot hopes the SUGV's smaller frame will mean more military units, law enforcement groups and first responders will be interested. Boeing's end of the deal will be to lend its expertise in systems integration and mass production, along with its global marketing reach.
The new SUGV is expected to be available next year.
(Credit:
Appliancist)
"Roombas" and "Scoobas" are fine for what they do, but--how shall we say this--they're kind of dumb. The "Microrobot UBOT," on the other hand, is kind of like a Roomba with a college degree.
Rather than randomly vacuum or scrub as it bumps its way about the house, the UBOT senses its target floor, sweeping and mopping at the same time in a single pass while avoiding duplicate cleaning. But just like some overeducated humans we know, it can correctly perform its duties only with the help of others--in this case, bar codes that are printed directly onto the floor boards, which the machine then reads.
If you do go through all the trouble to construct a support system that satisfies this hothouse flower, Appliancist says it will dutifully follow the markings back to its docking station upon completion of its tasks or if its four-hour battery needs recharging, whichever comes first. But if money is no issue, we would suggest skipping class and going with the brute force of a $170,000 cleaning monster from Japan.
(Credit:
Asahi)
If the "Roomba" and "Scooba" had a parent--a morbidly obese one--it might well be this cleaning monster from Japan. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry named it the "2006 Robot of the Year" for its vacuuming prowess, which spanned "3,000 square meters in four hours on a single charge," according to Plastic Bamboo.
You won't find one of these behind the counter at Walgreen's, though: Co-creators Sumitomo and Fuji Heavy Industries put its cost at $170,000, for replacing the work of two full-time humans--and without coffee breaks. But as Japan marches (or rolls) relentlessly toward a human-free society, machines like this might one day become frighteningly common.
We gave you an exclusive look at our test drive of a Scooba at my house awhile back, and now we have the full results. It wrestled with my wife's dresser and scared the cat but, in the end, did a great job on the floors.
If you shut it up in the bathroom for 20 minutes and ignore all the bumping and buzzing, you can come back and find the tile floor clean and sparkling. We tried to send it over the stairs, but sensors planted underneath make it veer away from heights. If you're looking for a gift, it's not a bad idea, although at $399 it's a bit steep. (You can return it after 30 days if you haven't destroyed it.) You can also get a remanufactured Roomba vacuuming robot for $109.
One of the best parts about living with the Scooba, the hardwood floor-cleaning cousing of the Roomba from iRobot, is discovering that you live like a hillbilly. This gray water comes from a test drive of a Scooba on my kitchen floor. But it's only a few days after the cleaning lady was here.
Still, it's sort of interesting to know how filthy your floor is. (Weirdly, founder Helen Greiner said seeing the water is one of her favorite things about it too.) The lint trap also pulls up some interesting crumbs and old bits of cereal. I'm still in the process of doing a full review, but thought I'd give you a foretaste. Given the early results, my guess is that recent dry-cleaning alternatives won't present much real competition.
Be warned, a robot war is brewing. The battlefront: Your kitchen floor.
iRobot--maker of the unlikely consumer hit the Roomba--has gone virtually unchallenged as it cleaned up (sorry) the market in automated carpet vacuums. Competitors are starting to come forth, however, such as one from Evolution Robotics. Now, the Roomba may meet yet another formidable opponent on hard surfaces, this one from Europe.
Last year, iRobot came out with the Scooba, a wet-cleaning device, for $400. That has since been cut to $300, but it's still way more than the price of rival RoboMop--a Norwegian-made bot for non-carpeted floors that sells outside the United States for about $56. Shiny Shiny, where we learned of the RoboMop, says it has a 98 percent accuracy rate too. Still, it has a long way to go: RoboMop has yet to prove, for example, that it's got as much personality as the Roomba and Scooba.
(Photo: RoboMop International)
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