Robotic Bed/Wheelchair

There's a lot of talk about Japan's rapidly aging society, and how it is expected to literally place a heavy burden on the island nation's caregivers. Among the many projected problems is a smaller pool of health care workers amidst a growing tide of elderly who require around-the-clock care. With that kind of workload, nurses are more likely to injure themselves or their patients when lifting them into and out of bed. Various solutions are in the works but few are as practical as Panasonic's Resyone robotic bed.

The mattress is split in half, with one side remaining firmly in place when the other half is separated to form the body of the chair. A patient simply needs to move over a few inches to one side, and with a few adjustments they'll be sitting upright in an electric wheelchair. A single caregiver assists during the transformation process, significantly reducing the burden on staff.

Panasonic clarified its vision for robotic health care solutions in 2009, stressing the importance of safety standards. Now that the International Organization for Standardization has independently verified the safety of the Resyone, Panasonic plans to aggressively market the device.

Source: gizmag.comAdded: 22 April 2014