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Grace the Robot Nurse is the Newest Hanson Robotics Project

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From the minds at Hanson Robotics comes their newest prototype. Meet Grace, a robotic nurse that is set to assist doctors, nurses, and medical professionals amidst the pandemic.

One of the industries that has taken the largest hit during the pandemic is the care sector. The demand for manpower has ushered in a host of innovative telehealth solutions for patients suffering from the coronavirus as well as other illnesses. That’s where Grace comes in.

Grace is a humanoid robot much like Sophia. That means she takes after human features, can make realistic facial expressions, and most of all, hold simple conversations with other humans. 

As a nurse robot, she is programmed to provide affective and functional care for patients, including temperature checks, pulse checks, treatment deliveries, and much more.

But what sets this robotic nurse apart is its display of empathy. Grace can detect human expressions, so she knows how to react when a patient expresses emotion. In other words, she is sad when you’re sad and happy when you’re happy.

Grace was designed specifically to be used in medical and care fields and will be utilized as an assistant to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, rather than a replacement.

The lifelike robot also specializes in senior care. By providing socialization, specifically talk therapy, to elderly residents who might be socially isolated, depressed, or experiencing symptoms of a larger disorder like Alzheimer’s syndrome, she is part of the many robots used as part of therapy programs in nursing homes and medical centers.

Hanson Robotics aims to mass produce Grace, Sophia, and Little Sophia by the end of 2021.


Watch: Grace the Robot Shows Empathy and Patient Care Skills

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Linda Takahashi

American-born New Yorker Linda Johnson has been fascinated with robotic machines since she was a teenager, when her father, a surgeon, would introduce to her the machines that he used to perform keyhole surgeries. This interest led her to pursue a tech degree at the University of Washington, where she met Sota Takahashi. They married and now have two children. Linda’s father developed dementia later on and was given a robot pet as a companion. She saw how much having a robot pet friend helped her father, which is what led her to create this website and advocate to spread word about robot pets and how they can help both children and the elderly.

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