{"70863":{"#nid":"70863","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Robotic Technology Inspired by Service Dogs","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EService dogs, invaluable companions providing assistance to physically impaired individuals, are an elite and desired breed.  Their presence in a home can make everyday tasks that are difficult - if not impossible - achievable, enhancing the quality of life for the disabled.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYet with a cost averaging $16,000 per dog - not to mention the two years of training required to hone these skills - the demand for these canines\u0027 exceeds their availability.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut what if these duties could be accomplished with an electronic companion that provides the same efficiency at a fraction of the cost?\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have engineered a biologically inspired robot that mirrors the actions of sought-after service dogs. Users verbally command the robot to complete a task and the robot responds once a basic laser pointer illuminates the location of the desired action.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor instance, if a person needs an item fetched, that individual would normally command a service dog to do so and then gesture with their hands toward the location. The service robot mimics the process, with the hand gesture replaced by aiming the laser pointer at the desired item.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEmploying this technology, users can accomplish basic yet challenging missions such as opening doors, drawers and retrieving medication.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s a road to get robots out there helping people sooner,\u0022 said Professor Charlie Kemp, Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering.  \u0022Service dogs have a great history of helping people, but there\u0027s a multi-year waiting list. It\u0027s a very expensive thing to have. We think robots will eventually help to meet those needs.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKemp presented his findings this week at the second IEEE\/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics - BioRob 2008 - in Scottsdale, Ariz. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis technology was achieved with four-legged authenticity.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKemp and graduate student Hai Nguyen worked closely with the team of trainers at Georgia Canines for Independence (GCI) in Acworth, Ga. to research the command categories and interaction that is core to the relationship between individuals and service dogs.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBetty, a Golden Retriever, was studied to understand her movements and relationship with commands. Key to the success is Betty\u0027s ability to work with a towel attached to a drawer or door handle, which allows her to use her mouth for such actions as opening and closing. The robot was then successfully programmed to use the towel in a similar manner.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHer handlers were thrilled at the potential benefits of the technology.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The waiting list for dogs can be five to seven years,\u0022 said Ramona Nichols, executive director of Georgia Canines for Independence. \u0022It\u0027s neat to see science happening but with a bigger cause; applying the knowledge and experience we have and really making a difference. I\u0027m so impressed. It\u0027s going to revolutionize our industry in helping people with disabilities.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn total, the robot was able to replicate 10 tasks and commands taught to service dogs at GCI - including opening drawers and doors - with impressive efficiency. Other successes included opening a microwave oven, delivering an object and placing an item on a table.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022As robotic researchers we shouldn\u0027t just be looking at the human as an example,\u0022 Kemp said. \u0022Dogs are very capable at what they do. They have helped thousands of people throughout the years. I believe we\u0027re going to be able to achieve the capabilities of a service dog sooner than those of a human caregiver.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the robot may not be able to mirror the personality and furry companionship of a canine, it does have other benefits.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E \u0022The robot won\u0027t require the same care and maintenance,\u0022 Kemp said. \u0022It also won\u0027t be distracted by a steak.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Mimicking the work of expensive canines could provide less-expensive alternative for the impaired"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have engineered a biologically inspired robot that mirrors the actions of sought-after service dogs. Users verbally command the robot to complete a task and the robot responds once a basic laser pointer illuminates the location of the desired action.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech obot mirrors the actions of service dogs."}],"uid":"27281","created_gmt":"2008-10-22 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:15","author":"Lisa Grovenstein","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2008-10-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70864":{"id":"70864","type":"image","title":"media:image:8f03927b-5fe3-4cc8-b816-a90dbc6a154c","body":null,"created":"1449177328","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:28","changed":"1475894623","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:43"}},"media_ids":["70864"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"152","name":"Robotics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"1968","name":"kemp"},{"id":"667","name":"robotics"},{"id":"170770","name":"service dogs"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EDon Fernandez\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=dfernandez8\u0022\u003EContact Don Fernandez\u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Don.fernandez@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}