Panasonic develops bed that turns into wheelchair

September 18, 2009 A bed-shaped robot which can transform from a bed (top) to a wheel chair (bottom)

Enlarge

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 into a 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 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


   
Rate this story - 5 /5 (4 votes)

Rank Filter

Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

  • docknowledge - Sep 19, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    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.

September 18, 2009 all stories

Comments: 1

5 /5 (4 votes)

  • hide
  • Related Stories




  • hide
  • Relevant PhysicsForums posts

  • how to welding thin SS foil (0.002")?
    created Feb 08, 2010
  • Civil Engineering is hazardous to your career prospects
    created Feb 06, 2010
  • hot water circulator, kitchen faucet, ? mixing
    created Feb 06, 2010
  • Static or dynamic pressures in duct
    created Feb 06, 2010
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

Other News

A general view of the arrival area of the Whistler Creek Alpine Skiing venue

Google Maps climbs to Olympic peaks

Technology / Internet

created 1hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Google sent snowmobiles rigged with cameras into Canadian mountains so folks snug and warm at home will get views of slopes at the Winter Olympic Games kicking off on Friday.


Handling emergencies online

Technology / Internet

created 1hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Online social networking sites could solve many problems plaguing information dissemination and communications when disaster strikes, according to a report from US researchers in a recent issue of the International Journal of ...


Warner CEO sees e-book 'fracas' as helping music

Technology / Business

created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(AP) -- The head of Warner Music Group expressed hope on Tuesday that the recent "fracas" over the price of e-books would help give content creators such as his company more pricing power over device makers.


The power of 'random'

The power of 'random': 'Seemingly loopy' technique could dramatically improve communications networks

Technology / Computer Sciences

created 10 hours ago | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

A radical new approach to the design of communications networks, called "network coding," promises to make Internet file sharing faster, streaming video more reliable, and cell-phone reception better -- among ...


'Revolutionary' water treatment units on their way to Afghanistan

Technology / Engineering

created 5 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

The United States Army has taken delivery of the first two units of a "revolutionary" waste-water treatment system that will clean putrid water within 24 hours and leave no toxic by-products, according to scientists at Sam ...