Robot Caregivers

CNN reported on Grace, a humanoid robot to revolutionize healthcare. Hanson Robotics designed an assistant for doctors. The company developed Grace specifically for the medical sector. These robot caregivers could help with unsafe staffing in the nursing home industry. Grace has sensors, including a thermal camera to detect a patient’s temperature and pulse, to help doctors diagnose illness and deliver treatments.

The android can be a companion for patients as well. Grace speaks three languages — English, Mandarin, and Cantonese — and can socialize and conduct talk therapy. However, no one can replace human caregivers. Hanson Robotics founder and CEO David Hanson said that robots like Grace are intended as a support for medical professionals rather than a replacement.

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), global sales of medical robots are up 28% between 2018 and 2019. The IFR predicts the sector’s value could nearly double in the next three years. Hanson Robotics says it will begin mass-producing robots, including Grace, at the end of 2021.