Care-O-bot 4®: The new modular service robot generation from Fraunhofer IPA

Care-O-bot® is the product vision of a mobile robot assistant to actively support humans in domestic environments. The meanwhile fourth generation of this successful development series is more agile and modular than its predecessors and offers various ways of interaction. It also stands out through the use of cost-reducing construction principles. Individual robot platforms can be configured for a wide range of applications.

Care-O-bot® ist die Produktvision eines mobilen Roboterassistenten zur aktiven Unterstützung des Menschen im häuslichen Umfeld. Die inzwischen vierte Generation dieser erfolgreichen Entwicklungsserie ist agiler und modularer als sein Vorgänger und bietet vielfältige Interaktionsmöglichkeiten. Je nach Konfiguration lässt sich eine individuelle Roboterplattform für unterschiedlichste Anwendungen aufbauen.

[YKrSHMN]

Exceptional design! Would like to see some videos demonstrating its practical applications. Does it have an intrinsic learning software interface?

If it doesn't the designers should add to its modular design by designing items like say, a kettle with a Bluetooth beacon, and stick on beacons for cups, saucers, the tin containing teabags. Then the robot would instantly "know" where these items are via Bluetooth beacon, and would follow preprogrammed protocols.

So if an elderly patient requests a cup of tea, the robot would be plug-and-play, and immediately after delivery would be able to make a cup of tea in a patients house. No user instruction necessary!

Other useful modules that would make the unit more practical would be beaconed mechanical pill boxes. A carer loads the pill box and tells the robot what times and days each pill must be delivered to the patient and where the pill box is to be stored. With the beacon, the robot can always find the pillbox and open the appropriate day/time to deliver medications to the patient.

Food boxes with beacons would also be handy. Ie- a request for toast and cereal could mean the robot acquires bread from a modular beaconed breadbox and cereal from a modular cereal container and milk from a beaconed "milk section" insert in the fridge.

The unit could insert the bread into a modular toaster and pour milk onto the cereal.


Separate Beacons and modules would make the initial phase of household robotics much more practical!

[Haftepaff]

Looks like the woman treated the robot with care and the robot was really kind to the woman as well. So will the robot kill us in our sleep if we treat them badly?

[chungteckchye]

Not bad design. Can we have the complete sets?

[JwilliamsAssociates]

Cute.. What does it do? I mean the personality part of it IS very cool. Functionally I am wondering what it does and how much instruction it takes.  I will search for other videos.

[MyLittleMagneton]

I can imagine looking back at this in the future, laughing our asses off.

[ezradlionel]

This is like those CG trailers for Sega Genesis games. Picking Flowers? really?

[martinschmelzle]

So if I get this robot it'll attempt to woo my spouse when I'm at work, did I understand that correctly?

[AtheistEve]

I expect a "Care" bot to do practical, hands-on care. As in: feed, change, dress, wash, handle all bodily fluids and wastes, monitor health and safety of any person of any age and ability. Basically - all the jobs currently being done by care nursing staff (usually at great expense and a high failure rate).

Also, this bot requires a very level floor surface and a minimalist interior landscape. Not much good in most homes elderly people live in, with their occasional tables, ornaments and fluffy carpets.

This is too whimsical and soppy. I'm sure it's fine if you just want a pet. Suggest a name change to Assist-O-bot or Eg-O-bot. Then it won't raise too many expectations about the care it can offer.

[niyaziadamsiken]

Its easy just to install a monitor as a face. Do it like the Japanese and develop a mechanical "face"

[SERG__ZV]

хуйня если всё что он может это дарить розу которая уже стоит у тебя дома. То ненужен этот робот. Домашний робот слуга должен уметь убираться готовить и мыть посуду, ну или хотябы закинуть её в посудомойку. И это только самое основное..
Fuck if all he can do is give a rose that's already at your house. That is not necessary this robot. The home robot servant should be able to clean up cooking and washing dishes, well, or at least throw it into the dishwasher. And this is only the most basic ..

[ezradlionel]

Y2Kr4SHM4N That's some pretty dumb shit you said there.