The adage “you’re only as old as you feel” is a two-sided coin. While the saying might be meant to inspire a healthy outlook, some of the hurdles encountered in life’s autumn years tend to sour the message. That’s why Toyota has been developing a prototype helper robot that will support the ever-growing need for long-term elderly care that we will experience in the next few decades.
The World Health Organization predicts that 22 percent of the world’s population will be over 60 years old by the year 2050. To care for these nouveau elderly, Toyota has developed its Human Support Robot (HSR) prototype, the first step in creating a device capable of providing practical assistance to the elderly in their day-to-day lives.
Standing at just over 3 feet tall, the cylindrical HSR can telescope upwards to about 4-and-a-half-feet in height. It rolls on an omnidirectional platform and can perform a number of tasks to assist people with its folding arm and clasping gripper.
If having a “clasping gripper” around older folks sounds dubious, no need to run out and sign up for Old Glory Insurance just yet. The helper robot is designed with torque sensors and with compliant control of its joints, meaning they will give way when pushed and will not offer resistance.
The HSR isn’t autonomous yet, but instead is operated either locally or remotely using a tablet interface by a care person. Users can see and hear what the robot sees thanks to several front-mounted cameras and a microphone array. A color display and speakers allows anyone in the care of the helper robot to see and communicate with the operator. When not remotely controlled, the HSR can “fetch” certain recognized objects.
Toyota plans to hold a “hackathon” at its Tokyo-based Mega Web showroom from August 31st to September 2nd. Eight teams will compete to develop an innovative application for the HSR, with the prize being a free development kit. Jumpstarting this sort of innovation now will hopefully mean more articulate, capable, and even autonomous robotic devices in our service in the coming decades.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.