Robots Help Treat Illness, Robot-Maker Says

(Valencia, Spain) An estimated 6,000 participants attended the world's largest annual gathering of techno-geeks, wrapping up today in Valencia. A feature of the event, called Campus Party, has been the introduction of new robotics specifically designed to aid in the treatment of human illnesses.

Robots are reported to help people with Alzheimer's, autism, dementia and psychiatric disturbances. One example is a companion robot which imitates Michael Jackson while recognizing voices and faces and reading emails and online newspapers.

Standing 58 centimetres (23 inches) tall and with a plastic shell for a body, a humanoid robot called Nao drew a crowd at the Campus Party in Valencia as it danced to Jackson’s “Billie Jean” with a black hat on its head.

“I am thrilled to be at the Campus Party!” it said in a mechanical voice in English.

Plans are to start selling Nao in 2011 for $4,000 to $5,000.

Other examples include a "chef" robot that can beat eggs and cut ham and a cuddly, white furry seal pup robot named Paro that sleeps, awakens and ostensibly reminds the cognitively-impaired that animals have rights and the planet needs to be saved from global warming.

It's worth noting that the illness-treatment robots displayed at Campus Party should not be confused with action figures used in treatments such as Fusilli Jerry, a cure for hemorrhoids. Heh.

Seriously, though, the implications of actual medical use for the, arguably, toy robots are ominous. Think about it, with a doctor's note the $5,000 robot could be a deductible medical expenditure and insurance companies could be forced to provide toy robot coverage. Also, if ObamaCare becomes law, the taxpayer may end up buying the expensive gadgets for anyone who has ever forgotten a phone number.