Robear: a bear-faced prototype that lifted patients
Robear was a nursing-care transfer robot unveiled in 2015 by Japan’s RIKEN and Sumitomo Riko. It lifted patients from bed into a wheelchair, but it was never sold and the research ended the same year.
Timeline
- 2006RI-MANEarlier model
- 2009RIBALifts up to 61 kg
- 2011RIBA-IILifts up to 80 kg
- 2015.02Robear unveiled140 kg, not for sale
- 2015.03Research endedJoint center closed
A care robot cut from 230 kg to 140 kg
Robear was built at a joint research centre in Nagoya run by Japan’s RIKEN and Sumitomo Riko. It was unveiled on 23 February 2015 as an experimental nursing-care robot. The bear-faced robot lifted patients from bed into a wheelchair and helped them stand. It weighed 140 kg, 90 kg lighter than its predecessor RIBA-II at 230 kg, and could lift up to 80 kg. Its legs extended when lifting a patient to keep it from tipping over and retracted so it could pass through doorways.
From RI-MAN and RIBA to Robear
Its predecessors included RI-MAN in 2006. RIBA, in 2009, could lift up to 61 kg, and RIBA-II, in 2011, could lift up to 80 kg, including from a futon on the floor. The partner at the time, Tokai Rubber Industries, said it intended to bring robots like it to market. Robear used low-gear-ratio actuators, torque sensors and rubber tactile sensors to handle people gently. A person operated it by guiding its arm or through a tablet.
A prototype with no plan to sell
At the launch, project leader Toshiharu Mukai said: “We really hope that this robot will lead to advances in nursing care, relieving the burden on care-givers today.” RIKEN, however, did not plan to sell Robear itself and hoped the technology would feed into a practical robot. One report put the estimated cost at ¥20–30 million. Mukai said that commercialisation in the near future would need much simpler, lower-cost robots. The joint research centre closed at the end of March 2015, and RIKEN’s research ended with it. In 2017 Mukai, continuing his work at Meijo University, described Robear as closer to an academic robot.
A robot meant for lifting people
Robear was meant to take on the heavy work of lifting and moving patients rather than conversation or companionship. That raised the bar on weight and cost. It contrasts with Lio, which aimed at the same care settings but started with errands.
If this robot fails at the task it was built for, what risk does that pose to a person?
What we haven’t confirmed
- How often Robear was tested in real care settings, and the results
- Whether Sumitomo Riko built a follow-on product with this technology
- The results of the research that continued at Meijo University
Sources
- RIKEN press release, “The strong robot with the gentle touch,” 23 February 2015 (with a note added 23 July 2015)
- RIKEN press release, “New robot to reduce burden on care facilities,” 27 August 2009
- RIKEN press release, “RIBA-II, the next generation care-giving robot,” 2 August 2011
- PCWorld, “Japan’s teddy bear nurse robot gets a softer touch,” 23 February 2015
- IMechE Professional Engineering, “Japanese engineers develop nursing care robot,” 23 February 2015
- New Atlas, “Robear robot care bear designed to serve Japan’s aging population,” 26 February 2015
- designboom, “RIKEN’s ROBEAR robot assists nurses when caring for their patients,” 2015
- homecare.co.uk, “The future of health care: Japanese robot can provide practical care and mobility support,” 2015
- Foreign Policy, “Japan Prefers Robot Bears to Foreign Nurses,” 2017