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w Robot Capable of Helping Patients With Physical Therapy Regimen
The University of Wyoming's Debbie Kretzchmar and her husband James are training Baxter the robot to function as a coach for patients undergoing physical therapy.
Credit: University of Washington
The University of Wyoming's Debbie Kretzchmar and her husband James are training a robot called Baxter to function as a coach for patients undergoing physical therapy.
Baxter possesses motor skills such as arm movement, and features a liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen, infrared sensors, and an Xbox 360 camera. Both of Baxter's arms include seven joints for flexibility, enabling it to pick up objects with its hands or "grippers." Baxter's LCD screen displays a friendly face, and it can talk through a speaker.
Debbie Kretzchmar ran a computer program during a demonstration in which James stood in front of Baxter and slowly moved his arms and hands. Baxter followed along and mimicked the movements. "This particular demo shows that Baxter can follow or track what a human is doing," Kretzchmar says. "Baxter could follow their movements and provide encouragement by 'speaking' and displaying a message or 'happy face' on his LCD screen."
Because Wyoming's population is so spread out and remote, telemedicine is an avenue that can be pursued further, Kretzchmar says. "Using external sensors and computer vision, Baxter could provide measurements on how much a person can lift their arm or turn a door knob," she says. "These measurements could be used to track progress."
From Northern Wyoming Daily News
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