Baby boomers are now entering the age of retirement, which could trigger a crisis within the US medical system; however, robots like uBOT-5 may be used to reduce the impact, say researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

"For the first time, robots are safe enough and inexpensive enough to do meaningful work in a residential environment," said Rod Grupen, computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts. The uBOT-5 mobile manipulator, developed at the Laboratory of Perpetual Robotics UMASS, is equipped with two arms capable of carrying small objects, moves around on a two-wheeled dynamically balanced propulsion system, and can make use of a stethoscope to check for life signs or even call 911 in case of an emergency.

The original uBOT-5 platform has been modified to carry a video-screen for the head and a series of sensors with which it can establish whether someone has fallen and is in distress. According to its developer, Rod Grupen, the US medial system may soon find itself overwhelmed by up to 78 million baby boomers, aged 65 or more in the next three decades.

Although the current price for a single uBOT-5 robot mounts to 65,000 US dollars, once it enters mass production, its price would drop considerably. In the US, a human part-time caregiver may cost more than 1,500 dollars a week. UBOT-5 can also conduct tasks such as cleaning, shopping, or even acts as reminder and administer of virtual house calls with the help of the webcam, microphone, LCD touch-screen and mobile Internet connection.

"Grandma can take the robot's hand, lead it out into the garden and have a virtual visit with a grandchild who is living on the opposite coast," says Grupen. uBOT-5 is powered by a Li-ion battery and is controlled through a embedded personal computer running a Linux operating system.