No. 342: Four kinds of medical and nursing-care robots from Toyota (November 4, 2011)

Toyota has been developing partner robots in four fields since 2007: medical, nursing-care, manufacturing, and product development. It is collaborating with Fujita Health University in Aichi Prefecture in the development of medical and nursing-care robots. The company disclosed four kinds of medical and nursing-care robots. They are robots for waling without human aid, walking exercises, balancing exercises, and transferring support. These robots are designed to help people with difficulty walking independently and those with difficulty getting out bed independently.

A substantiative experiment will start in 2012 at major medical facilities. A professor of Fujita Health University says, “Toyota’s safety technology is excellent and very close to practical use. Toyota’s director in charge of the development is confident about the spread of these robots in view of the dwindling birthrate and an aging population. Toyota plans to put these robots into practical application at an early period of 2013. The company is also energetically developing robots for manufacturing and product development.