When you think 'robot,' you probably don't picture balloons. But Carnegie Mellon University's Siddharth Sanan is working to change that vision. Sanan, a Ph.D. candidate in the university's Robotics Institute, has developed a first-of-its-kind robotic inflatable arm. His work is especially intriguing as the boomer generation ages and the use of assistive robots are expected to increase. “Robots that are completely soft, such as those using inflatable elements, can be utilized for safe interactions with humans,” said Sanan. Quality of Life Technology Center researchers like Sanan are pioneering technology for helping older and disabled individuals live more independently and his inflatable arm could assist in daily activities such as feeding, dressing and grooming. “The project is motivated by the need to take care of people. However the concern with current robots is that they're dangerous. So the question became; how can we build a robot that's intrinsically safe? We asked ourselves how we could minimize risk even if the computer inside the robot crashed. The answer was to make it soft,” said CMU's Christopher Atkeson, professor of robotics and Sanan's advisor. The way I see it; if the robot malfunctions and tries to hurt me, albeit gently, I simply only need to poke a hole in it and its all over. Still it is a very ingenious design and I applaud any technology that is being made to help the disabled.
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