News of the RIBA II robot has been around for quite a while, but I don’t think we’ve really had a quality video of it in action until now. The bot is designed to work in hospitals and help carry patients from one bed to another, whether they want it or not.
Judging by the way the guy in the video babysits RIBA II, he obviously doesn’t trust the bot to A.) not drop the woman and B.)Not run off with her and take her to it’s bot-cave somewhere and never return. The robot was developed by Tokai Rubber Industries and RIKEN, a research institute.
The body is completely soft so as not to hurt the humans that it is accosting. RIBA II can lift people that weigh up to 80kg (~176 lbs.) off the floor and onto a bed. The fact that it looks like a bear is just a bonus.
[via Diginfo and Techcrunch]
