also this morning:
British Robot Unveiled to Help DisabledLONDON (Reuters) - A robot which looks and moves like a caterpillar to help the disabled in the home was unveiled in Britain on Thursday.
The Flexibot, which can clamp itself to specific points on the wall and ceiling, could be used to aid the elderly and disabled with domestic tasks such as shaving, cooking and cleaning.
It has three pivots allowing it to move between points and a three fingered hand to grip objects.
"We needed to develop technology to go a step further and get a flexible robot," said inventor Professor Mike Topping from Staffordshire University in central England, where the robot had its world launch.
"The Flexibot can go from socket to socket with the sockets being equally spaced. It can even travel along walls and latch onto a wheelchair," he told Reuters. "People in wheelchairs could take it to the supermarket and it could pick up cans of beans."
Scientists from Staffordshire University's Center for Rehabilitation Robotics developed the robot with help from colleagues in universities and engineering firms across Europe.
The project, which began in 2001, was subsidized by a $2.8 million grant from the European Commission (news - web sites) as part of its goal to make society less discriminating and accessible for everyone.
Topping, who has been involved in building robots for the disabled for 20 years, hopes the next stage in development will be a fully robotic kitchen with two Flexibots working in tandem under the control of a disabled person.
