Robot Living

iRobot has partnered with InTouch Health to create a new healthcare robot called RP-VITA (Remote Presence Virtual + Independent Telemedicine Assistant).

Basically this is a telepresence robot so that doctors can see patients without actually being in the same hospital or facility.

The robot is based on iRobots AVA platform and has the following features.

1. Obstacle Detection Obstacle Avoidance (ODOA) technologies.

2. Real-time access to important clinical data and the ability to add medical devices such as ulrasound.  The RP-VITA comes equipped with an electronic stethoscope.

3. A new, simple to use iPad user interface.

From the video below, it looks like the doctor has 2 images.  One is a live video when talking to the patient and one is a static image when he is maneuvering around the hospital.

iRobot RP-VITA press release

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iRobot announced a new version of their glider robot Seaglider.
Seaglider is UUV or unmanned underwater vehicle that operates between 65 and 3,280 feet underwater and has completed mission longer than 9 months without needing a battery replacement.  The Seaglider can also house a variety of sensors such as  oxygen sensors and PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) sensors.

The press release states:

Seaglider can now be outfitted with a larger set of fairings that significantly increases the UUV’s volume and mass payload capabilities. Payload mass is doubled over Seaglider’s original design to four kilograms and payload volume has expanded 650 percent to more than 21,000 cubic centimeters, resulting in the ability to integrate both larger sensors and a greater number of sensors with Seaglider.

iRobot also has two other seafaring robots in it’s arsenal. One is called the  the Transphibian and the other is the 15A Ranger.  iRobot also offers a five day training program to become a certified Seaglider pilot.  Three days are in the classroom and two are in the field.

Link via (Boston.com)

110 FirstLook - photo from iRobot

iRobot unveiled their newest military robot this week. It is also their first throwable robot.

The robot called FirstLook is a tread based robot with flippers to help it up stairs or over obstacles. FirstLook can also right itself if it lands upside down after being thrown. It can be dropped onto concrete from up to 15 feet without any damage and can also take being submerged in water.

The robot weighs less than five pounds and is 10 inches long by 9 inches wide.
It can run for 6 hours while moving or up to 10 hours if stationary. The robot is also capable of creating a mesh network and each robot can be used as a network extender to relay
messages.
FirstLook also comes with a large screen an control panel that can be strapped to your wrist.

Update 5/19/11 – Click through for a video.

Link via (IEEE Spectrum)

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iRobot this week introduced a new telepresence robot at CES called AVA.  This robot can self adjust it’s own height from 3 to 5 feet and is topped off with a tablet pc.

It has an array of sensors to help it avoid bumping into things  including rangefinders, acoustic sensors, bump sensors and PrimeSense sensors.  PrimeSense sensors are the same sensors that are in the Microsoft Kinect.

AVA is ready for applications like on your iPhone or  iPad and is compatible with Android devices and the iPad.  iRobot CEO Colin Angle:

If you can program an iPad, you can program a robot.

What seems most interesting is that AVA is ready for developers to create other applications that can easily be uploaded to AVA through the screen or tablet interface.

Click through for a video from PC Magazine with Colin Angle and AVA.

Link via (Robot Stock News) & (Engadget)
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iRobot has just introduced a new floor cleaning robot called the Scooba 230.

This compact round robot uses a cleaning solution to remove 97% of all bacteria from your kitchen and bathroom floors.  The Scooba 230 can also be used with tap water if you run out of cleaning solution.  It is easy to refill and empty through two separate holes and the brushes on the bottom are also easily removable for cleaning. The robot keeps the clean and dirty water separate, which is why it has two holes.

The Scooba 230 goes over each area multiple times and uses something called iAdapt Responsive Cleaning Technology that allows the robot to select from over 40 different behaviors more than 60 times per second.

One behavior allows the  Scooba 230 to hug your bathroom walls. Another behavior is called cliff detection.  This behavior means it will know to avoid stairs without the need for any virtual walls.

Update: No word yet on price or when it will be available.

We have seen the price listed at $299 on Boston.com, but still no word on when it will be available.

Link via (Boston Herald)