iRobot's robotic navigator is a breakthrough mobile robotics platform developed to help robot designers, application developers and market innovation specialists expedite the pursuit of practical, affordable mobile robotic solutions.. The company envisions it being used as a guide to help visitors find their way through a company or a hospital. The research development project, called , Ava has the potential to impact many markets such as Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Enterprise Collaboration and Consumer applications.
Ava is designed to navigate through a cluttered environment and can move up to two meters per second. The robot uses a mapping system and about 20 sensors, including 3-D imaging sensors and a laser range finder. The 'head' is an agnostic design, intended to be used with a variety of tablets, displays or even smart phones.
CNET posted this video of the robot from CES:
iRobot envisions Ava being used by a hospital to guide visiting specialists to labs, offices and patient rooms.
Doors and stairs might be an obstacle for this initial version, as it has no grippers, arms or other ways to move through closed doorways. The base suggests that, like the Roomba, Ava could only operate on one floor at a time.
Computerworld
Hmm, iRobots will make sense not only at hospitals, but at daily care centers for elderly people or handicapped people who live at home. I think this robotic trend should be developed further on.
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