Nurses soon to be replaced by “mechanized angels”?

Pretty soon, those nurses frantically walking from one hospital room to another are going to be pitted against a different breed of nurse – the robotic kind.

EU-funded scientists are currently developing these robot nurses through something called the IWARD project. These mecha-Nightingales will perform basic tasks such as cleaning up spills, taking messages, distributing medicines, checking a patient’s temperature via their laser thermometers, and guiding visitors to hospital beds.

These robot nurses would also be able to work in teams (something that most human beings can’t seem to do). They would communicate with each other and coordinate their duties in their own high-tech way. The robots would also employ face and voice recognition technology to communicate with fellow “nurses” and patients, and to spot unauthorized visitors.

Scientists from the Universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Dublin, and Newcastle are participating in the IWARD project, with three robot prototypes targeted for 2010. Project leader Thomas Schlegel noted, “The idea is not only to have mobile robots but also a full system of integrated information terminals and guide lights, so the hospital is full of interaction and intelligence”.

Anything that lessens the pressures for nurses (the human types) is a good thing. The only thing we’re worried about is that these mechanized angels might not be built to aid the nurses, but rather to replace them.

Via Scotsman

Pretty soon, those nurses frantically walking from one hospital room to another are going to be pitted against a different breed of nurse – the robotic kind.

EU-funded scientists are currently developing these robot nurses through something called the IWARD project. These mecha-Nightingales will perform basic tasks such as cleaning up spills, taking messages, distributing medicines, checking a patient’s temperature via their laser thermometers, and guiding visitors to hospital beds.

These robot nurses would also be able to work in teams (something that most human beings can’t seem to do). They would communicate with each other and coordinate their duties in their own high-tech way. The robots would also employ face and voice recognition technology to communicate with fellow “nurses” and patients, and to spot unauthorized visitors.

Scientists from the Universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Dublin, and Newcastle are participating in the IWARD project, with three robot prototypes targeted for 2010. Project leader Thomas Schlegel noted, “The idea is not only to have mobile robots but also a full system of integrated information terminals and guide lights, so the hospital is full of interaction and intelligence”.

Anything that lessens the pressures for nurses (the human types) is a good thing. The only thing we’re worried about is that these mechanized angels might not be built to aid the nurses, but rather to replace them.

Via Scotsman