Toyota's Human Support Robot (HSR) prototype has been launched in the United Kingdom at the home of a man named Anthony Walsh, which has a motor neuron disease (MND) that rendered him with mobility issues. The robot provides support regarding the opening of doors, picking up objects, delivering them, and entertaining users within the comforts of their house.
Toyota Robot Project to Help Those in Need
The MND Association has partnered with King's College London, Toyota Motor Europe, and Toyota GB under a three-year charity partnership that birthed the release of this robot.
The goal of the project is to help those with impaired mobility, says Toyota, bringing assistance to those who need it most with the use of technology and innovation.
Assisting Anthony Walsh via Toyota's HSR
"Not being able to walk for the last month has been very hard to cope with. I've lost my mobility and I have to be dependent on others, which is not the sort of person I was," says Anthony Walsh, the recipient of the support bot. Toyota has given Walsh the opportunity to be the first recipient of the robot and try its capabilities shortly after being diagnosed with MND in 2021.
Read Also: Robotic Drone Flies Like a Real Bird: Stanford Engineers
The UK citizen was able to play football back then, but when the disease has manifested its effects, Walsh had difficulty moving the lower part of his body, rendering him in a wheelchair.
Toyota said that the goal of this program is to assist people like Walsh that has suffered accidents or diseases that left them paralyzed or unable to do normal tasks. The robot can be the alternate provider of these tasks for these people, provide them assistance with their needs, and navigate the human world to fulfill its tasks.
How Does Toyota's Human Support Robot Do its Tasks?
According to Toyota, the HSR is a service robot that can assist people at home and is one of Toyota's robotics concepts now under development as part of the company's global mission to provide freedom of mobility for all.
"It is a perfect expression of how Toyota as a mobility company wants to make freedom of movement, and the opportunities that bring, available to everyone in society." Mark Van Loock, Technology Manager at Toyota Motor Europe (TME), stated.
The robot has a highly maneuverable, compact, cylindrical body and a folding arm. These parts are all made for maneuverability to help those at home and stow themselves easily when not in need.
Moreover, It is equipped with a wide variety of sensors and cameras to perform practical tasks for elderly and disabled people and those recovering from illness or injury. Not only that, it can grab objects, interact with its human partners, and can navigate the real-world environments at home.
Currently, the robot is manually controlled and when it was in Walsh's home, an operator helped perform its tasks by executing commands. However, King's College is working with Toyota to make it autonomous and respond to the call of help from its intended humans.
Related Article: Humanoid Robot Ameca Could Perfectly Mimick Human-like Facial Expressions But Can it Walk or Run?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isaiah Richard
