Jun 10
Jun 10
We fully expected to see iRobot offer up further applications for its Ava development platform after *ahem* rolling out the RP-VITA, a medically-themed team up with In-Touch Health. The company’s second partner is a biggie: it’ll be working with Cisco on the Ava 500 telepresence bot. The system looks quite similar to the VITA, sporting what appears to be a nearly identical base. As with its predecessor, Ava’s controlled by a fairly simple iPad program — you can either pick a destination on a map or choose from a list of employee names and rooms you’d like to visit. Once inputted, the robot is autonomous in navigation, getting to the destination, while avoiding people and obstacles. When the meeting’s over, it’ll return to its base for charging.
On the top, however, you’ll find Cisco’s TelePresence EX60 end-point, bringing the company’s widely adopted platform to the mobile base, courtesy of a 21.5-inch HD display. The user’s face will show up on the screen as the ‘bot navigates through the halls, allowing you to talk about last night’s Mad Men, should you (figuratively) run into anyone around the water cooler. You can also switch to private mode, if telepresence small talk isn’t your thing. iRobot and Cisco will be showing off Ava at Infocomm later this month. If you can’t wait for that, however, you’ll find out a bit more in the press release after the break.
Filed under: Robots
May 06
We’ve already seen the RP-VITA in action — and so, for that matter, has the FDA. Now iRobot / InTouch Health’s telepresence ‘bot is ready to take the field. The companies today jointly unveiled a list of seven US and Mexican hospitals that will be using the iPad-friendly wheeled robot. The list includes a handful of locations that helped demo RP-VITA ahead of its official release. Check in after the break for all the locations, which include half a dozen in the US and one in Mexico.
Filed under: Robots
May 01
This three-fingered manipulator has just about everything you could ever want in a robotic hand. It’s relatively low-cost, it’s powerful, it’s capable of picking up objects both large and small, and it’s robust. In fact, we’ve already seen the thing used as a tee for an aluminum bat. The hand, which was developed by researchers at iRobot, Harvard and Yale, was created as part of DARPA’s ARM Hardware (ARM-H), a program track focused on the creation of inexpensive, dexterous hands. According to its creators, the key here is “function rather than trying to mimic a human hand,” which helped bring down the cost of building the three-fingered grasper. Check out a video of the Ninja Turtle-esque gripper getting put through its paces — and strengthening its core with a 50-pound kettle bell — after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Feb 01
iRobot and Raytheon’s All-in-One Robot Fabricator: Hide Your Kids, The Robocalypse Is Nigh
Posted in: Today's ChiliOK, so basically, self-replicating robots are a no-no when it comes to robotics, because you don’t want them to start taking over the planet and exterminating humans. I for one, don’t welcome our robotic overlords. iRobot and Raytheon recently filed a patent which could be the source of something scarily robotic. Thankfully, this isn’t exactly what they’re after, but it wouldn’t take much to make so-called “von Neumann machines” a reality with this device in hand.
The patent for the Robot Fabricator is for a machine that would allow products of all sorts to be autonomously constructed. Its capabilites would range from the creation of seed components to the assembly of finished products without any direct human involvement.
While we’re still quite far from the scenario of what happened in the Dune novels by Frank Herbert, in which machines enslaved humanity, things could still go very wrong very quickly. If such a device got into the wrong hands grippers, robots could be popping up everywhere. Scary, huh?
Jan 26
iRobot makes robots for all sorts of needs in the military and other business areas. In the consumer space, the company is probably best known for its line of robotic vacuum cleaners, including the Roomba and Scooba. Last year, iRobot started trials of a robot designed to work in hospitals – called the RP-Vita, or Remote Presence Virtual Independent Telemedicine Assistant.
Developed by iRobot and InTouch Health, the robot is a telepresence device that stands about as tall as your typical human. It’s fitted with dual screens, a video camera, Wi-Fi and other sensors and even has its own stethoscope allowing doctors to perform patient examinations remotely. It uses an iPad to control communications, and the robot is able to use sensors to map its environment and navigate autonomously.
iRobot has announced that the RP-VITA has now been approved by the FDA to be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-surgical settings. It can work in several areas of the hospital including cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological, and critical care. These robots are far from cheap and are estimated to cost as much as $4000 per month to purchase and operate, but that still could represent a significant cost savings by allowing doctors to check in on more patients and more frequently.
[via Science World Report]
Jan 25
iRobot’s robots physicians have been wanting to offer their diagnostic assistance for around six months, but now the RP-VITA, made in partnership with InTouch’s AVA telepresence broadcast tech, has been given permission by the FDA to roam a hospital corridor near you.
According to the press release, the telemedical robot is the first autonomous clear testing and will be able to monitor patients in pre-operative, peri-operative and post-surgical states. It’ll provide assistance with crushing the human race assessments and examinations in cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological and critical care, beaming the visage of your attending physician to your side while transferring your vitals and a video feed to them. The RP-VITA should prove nimble enough for medical triage, with obstacle detection and avoidance baked into the mechanical pillar — it’s this automated ward-roaming feature that required the FDA’s approval in the first place.
FDA Clears First Autonomous Telemedicine Robot for Hospitals
RP-VITA[TM], by iRobot and InTouch Health, enables doctors to provide patient care from anywhere in the world via a telemedicine solution
BEDFORD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in delivering robotic solutions, announced that the RP-VITA Remote Presence Robot has received 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in hospitals. RP-VITA is the first autonomous navigation remote presence robot to receive FDA clearance.
“There are very few environments as difficult to maneuver as that of a busy ICU or emergency department. Having crossed this technology threshold, the potential for self-navigating robots in other markets, and for new applications, is virtually limitless.”
RP-VITA is a joint effort between two industry leaders, iRobot and InTouch Health. The robot combines the latest in autonomous navigation and mobility technologies developed by iRobot with state-of-the-art telemedicine and electronic health record integration developed by InTouch Health. RP-VITA allows remote doctor-to-patient consults, ensuring that the physician is in the right place at the right time and has access to the necessary clinical information to take immediate action. The robot has unprecedented ease of use. It maps its own environment and uses an array of sophisticated sensors to autonomously move about a busy space without interfering with people or other objects. Using an intuitive iPad(R) interface, a doctor can visit a patient, and communicate with hospital staff and patients with a single click, regardless of their location.
The FDA clearance specifies that RP-VITA can be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative and post-surgical settings, including cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological and critical care assessments and examinations.
RP-VITA is being sold into the healthcare market by InTouch Health as its new flagship remote presence device. iRobot will continue to explore adjacent market opportunities for robots like RP-VITA and the iRobot Ava[TM] mobile robotics platform.
“FDA clearance of a robot that can move safely and independently through a fast-paced, chaotic and demanding hospital environment is a significant technological milestone for the robotics and healthcare industries,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “There are very few environments as difficult to maneuver as that of a busy ICU or emergency department. Having crossed this technology threshold, the potential for self-navigating robots in other markets, and for new applications, is virtually limitless.”
“Remote presence solutions have proven their worth in the medical arena for quite some time,” said Yulun Wang, chairman and CEO of InTouch Health. “RP-VITA has undergone stringent testing, and we are confident that the robot’s ease of use and unique set of capabilities will enable new clinical applications and uses.”
Via: SlashGear
Jan 25
Last summer we mentioned that iRobot was conducting trials with the new telepresence robot called the RP-VITA. Today word has turned up that the FDA has approved that robot for use in hospitals within the United States. RP-VITA stands for Remote Presence Virtual Independent Telemedicine Assistant.
The robot stands approximately the height that a human would and has technology inside to allow it to self navigate. The technology is designed to support remote Doctor and patient consultations allowing the physician to be where he’s needed to be at the right time. The robot is packed with sensors allowing it to move around without bumping into people or other objects.
The system has an iPad interface that allows the doctor to communicate with staff and patients. With the FDA granting approval for the robot to be used in hospitals, it can now be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative, and postsurgical settings. I wonder if this means on-call doctors might not have to rush back into the hospital when the phone rings if one of these robots is available.
The FDA approval includes clearances to work in the cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological, and critical care areas. The robot has an integrated monitor and web cam and allows the remotely operating physician to access patient information using Wi-Fi. It also has a built-in stethoscope allowing the doctor to perform ears on assessments from a distance. The robot is far from cheap with previous estimates that between $4000 and $6000 monthly to operate.
[via Science World Report]
FDA approves iRobot RP-VITA for use in hospitals is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jan 24
FDA Approves Robot Doctor
Posted in: Today's Chili
The FCC approves consumer electronics devices for the masses, but what about the FDA? Well, they make sure that all things medical are fit for public service, and the latest candidate to gain approval from this regulatory board is the first robot doctor developed by iRobot. Wait a minute here, doesn’t iRobot churn out Roombas? Yup, that is correct, and the robot doctor in question here is the RP-VITA that comes in the form of a telepresence robot. It will rely on a large display with an iPad interface to enable a doctor to examine a patient remotely, and it works swell in pre-op and post-op situations, not to mention during surgery as well.
This FDA clearance is significant, since it proves that a robot is able to move about safely and independently through a fast-paced, chaotic and demanding hospital , and would also mark a rather significant technological milestone for the robotics and healthcare industries.
The RP-VITA is currently on sale by InTouch Health, where it will fall under the guise of the company’s latest flagship remote presence device. iRobot has plans to explore adjacent market opportunities for similar robots, and we do wonder what other kinds of medical robots are on their way. Perhaps those in the operating theater that fixed up Darth Vader in his menacing suit? [Press Release]
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Chitti Robot Monitors ICU Patients, Larry The Vomiting Robot, 
Jan 24
iRobot applies for ‘all-in-one’ 3D printer patent: aims to reduce need for post-processing
Posted in: Today's Chili 
It’s no floor cleaner, so it looks like iRobot‘s looking to expand its horizons, filing a patent application for a “robotic fabricator”. While not granted (yet), the USPTO filing outlines an all-in-one 3D printer that is capable of post-print milling and processing. Typical 3D printing results in an ‘overhang’ excess that needs to be clipped from the finished article, but iRobot’s loosely worded notion would process these automatically, as well as seams formed where parts are fused together. Multiple manipulators mean that the object can be contorted over “at least six axes”, while the toolhead would combine together a print and milling head, alongside an exotically-named robocasting extruder, which is used in building up the layers of material. The design aims to reduce the need for any non-automated manufacturing processes, hopefully meaning effortless turtleshell kart production and reduced printing blemishes — that is, if it makes it to reality.
Via: Adafruit
Source: USPTO
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