Toyota Motor displayed new robots for nursing and healthcare at its Mega Web theme park and vehicle display space. Toyota’s Partner Robot series aid humans in their routine activities.
Independent Walk Assist
The company has developed partner robots suitable for domestic duties, manufacturing, personal transport for short-distances, and nursing and healthcare. It intends to assist people who are in the process of recovering their health and others who have become incapacitated due to injury or sickness. Toyota has collaborated with the Fujita Health University Hospital for the design and requirements of the robots.
Toyota’s Partner Robot series are equipped with precise motor control technology, stable walking-control technology, high-speed, user posture detection technology, and holding and grasping strength detection technology.
Toyota’s nursing and healthcare Partner Robots feature Independent Walk Assist, Walk Training Assist, Balance Training Assist and Patient Transfer Assist abilities. Injuries or paralysis may impair walking ability. The Independent Walk Assist robot can be fixed on to the affected leg and it will aid the person to walk naturally and independently.
The Walk Training Assist robot helps people whose walking ability has been impaired to develop their natural walking. This robot also contains the Independent Walk Assist technology. The Patient Transfer Assist robot helps caregivers in the process of transferring patients from their bed to the toilet and back. It has a mobile platform and weight-supporting arms.
People may suffer from impaired balance. The Balance Training Assist robot supports training for balance function. It features inverted-pendulum, self-balancing, two-wheeled technology and game elements for training.
The company intends to commence commercialization of the robots from 2013.