Demographics are rapidly changing in industrialized countries as baby boomers are beginning to retire. With that will come more demand for extra staff at nursing homes and care facilities, already an industry that struggles with filling available positions. Our future overlords, the robots, are here to help, as a new device from Yujin Robot of South Korea clearly demonstrates.
The GoCart was designed with help from ScanBox Thermo Products, a Swedish firm that makes food trolleys for restaurants and catering services. The device will be tested at two care facilities in the U.S. and Sweden, where it will autonomously deliver trays of food. The system has cameras and sensors to get the food to the right person while avoiding running into people and objects on the way. It maps its environment and learns to travel efficiently within the facility. We can only hope that the technology will prove itself smart enough to operate in busy clinical settings where it can spend all day listening to patients complaining about hospital food that it serves.
Here’s a promo video introducing the GoCart:
Product preview page: GoCart…
Press release: GoCart, World’s 1st Meal-Transport Robot For All Elderly And Health Care Facilities Unveiled…
(hat tip: Robohub)
