Panasonic develops bed that turns into wheelchair

September 18, 2009

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A bed-shaped robot which can transform from a bed (top) to a wheel chair (bottom). Japan's Panasonic Corp. has developed a "Robotic Bed" that can transform into a wheelchair to make life easier for elderly and disabled people, it announced

Japan's Panasonic Corp. has developed a "Robotic Bed" that can transform into a wheelchair to make life easier for elderly and disabled people, it announced Friday.

The invention is designed to help people with limited mobility maintain an independent lifestyle, the firm said in a statement.

"Now, the user can join the family meal by converting the bed into a wheelchair and moving to the dining table without the need of assistance from other people," it said.

Panasonic will exhibit the Robotic Bed at a home care and rehabilitation exhibition in Tokyo from September 29 to October 1, it said.

"It is still a concept model and we will not be selling it soon," said Panasonic spokeswoman Yuka Arii. "We plan to bring it to markets in or after 2015. But we don't know the price yet."

Japan has one of the world's oldest populations and faces a constant shortage of care workers.

(c) 2009 AFP

• docknowledge - Sep 19, 2009
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  Nice work. Going into hospitals these days, all the money is spent on expensive drugs and monitoring machines.
  
  Beds that patients can't figure out how to reposition themselves. Phones that could be hand-free, but duh, require invalid patients to master. Constant din. Unexpected interruptions disrupting sleep. No lockable patient drawers.
  
  How about more on the basics such as this device.
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