Weekly News Article 3

Big Hero 6-style robots may not be far away, says UHI 

Personal healthcare robots such as Baymax in Disney animation Big Hero 6 may not be far from becoming reality, a Scottish university has suggested. 

In the film's futuristic world, Baymax is a robot with a soft synthetic skin who can detect medical conditions.The University of the Highlands and Islands said a lecture next month will suggest a new era of smart healthcare devices could be imminent.

It  will be considered how the "internet of things" - a concept that promotes linking medical devices and even domestic appliances such as washing machines to the internet - could improve healthcare in remote and rural areas of Scotland.Prof Kamel Boulos said: "In this age of 'internet-of-things', there is no reason why the populations of smaller and rural settlements should be left lagging.

"They can also help people better help each other and can play a major role in reducing the social isolation of older people."

Prof Kamel Boulos will deliver his lecture at the Alexander Graham Bell Centre, a new £6.5m facility for digital health and life science based at Moray College UHI, on 2 April.

Early versions of a robot teddy bear now being put through its paces in a children's hospital in the US were tested in the Highlands. An updated version of the bear has been fitted with pressure sensors on two of its paws and several touch sensors throughout its body parts. The screen of the smart phone device in the robot's head shows animated eyes and the robot can use the phone's internal speaker, microphone and camera for sensing changes in a child's wellbeing.

Robot teddy bear Huggable made in the US

I think that a robot that was able to detect any medical conditions would be extremely useful and would be able to help these conditions get treated quicker. It would defiantly help the chance of survival if someone was diagnosed with a life threatening condition so would save lives.