|
| |
Robots That Replace Humans
Term Paper ID:44573
|
|
|
Essay Subject:
This paper explores the use of robots that replace humans in the context of ...... More...
|
6 Pages / 1350 Words
6 sources, 9 Citations,
MLA Format
$24.00
Return to List of Papers
|
Paper Abstract:
This paper explores the use of robots that replace humans in the context of caring for patients with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Paper includes an annotated bibliography.
Paper Introduction:
Robots That Replace Humans Introduction Ever since robots first appeared in early films the notion that theymight someday replace humans became a possibility However embedded inthe potential for significant service to humans was the more alarmingpossibility that robots could develop a mind and personality of their ownand wield their power against humans In Stanley Kubrick\'s film ASpace Odyssey Hal a computer on board a space ship rebels against hishuman counterparts and decides to take control of the ship realizing afear that many
Text of the Paper:
The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper.
One Japanese robot, Paro therobotic seal, is a robot in the guise of a stuffed animal that providescompanionship and enhances cognition for elderly patients that havedementia (Romero). IEEE Spectrum. "The Nursebot Project: Developing a Personal Robotic Assistant for Frail Older Adults in the Community." Home Health Care Management & Practice, 14.5, (Aug 2 2), 4 3-4 5. One would be resistance on the part of patients' families,patients, or nursing staff, any of whom might feel uncomfortable with theidea of a robotic assistant. "A Sociable Robot to Encourage Social Interaction among the Elderly." Although this article appears to be a scholarly article and was found through Google Scholar, no indication of which journal it came from was given. Instead, robots are increasingly being used to replace humans ina helpful capacity-to do work that humans find boring or dangerous, assisthumans in performing tasks that they are incapable of doing, or simply makehousework and everyday life more convenient. Robots That Replace Humans1. In addition, the robot couldalleviate some of the dangers of nursing homes, such as irritated workersthat can become rough or even violent with the residents. In Stanley Kubrick's film 2 1: ASpace Odyssey, Hal, a computer on board a space ship rebels against hishuman counterparts and decides to take control of the ship, realizing afear that many humans have long had with respect to robots. This is a peer-reviewed article on the Nursebot Project that has implications for the advantages of nursing robots that replace humans.Romero, Josh. The robot would increase the ability of hospitals andnursing homes to provide an adequate standard of care for the elderlywithout a concomitant increase in staffing. Newer uses of robots includethose prevalent in the medical field. Parothe robotic seal is received similarly to a live pet, such as a small dog,and residents were noted holding it close as they would a pet (Wada,Shibata, Musha, & Kimura 58). Funding from the government and scientific communities may helpto defray the costs.5. This is a news-related web site produced by Newsday Electronic Publishing, and the article is cited to the Washington News Bureau.Matthews, Judith Tabolt. These can be expected to diminish markedly aspeople see the robotic assistant in use. Technology Requirements The technological needs of the proposed application are alreadylargely met by current technology, as evidenced by Paro the robotic seal,which is capable of proactive, reactive, and physiological behavior (Wada,Shibata, Musha, & Kimura 55-56). It is a highly regarded organization whose principles are relied upon as the gold standard in technology use and creation.Wada, Kazuyoshi; Shibata, Takanori; Musha, Toshimitsu; Kimura, Shin. This publication is associated with IEEE, the premier organization for innovation and technology. The quality of life for many dementia patients is low, and theintroduction of a robotic assistant/companion could greatly increasequality of life and give them a sense that they are not alone or ignored.Because the robot could listen and talk to them without becoming annoyed atrepetition or loss of train of thought, these patients might feel lessdisenfranchised and more accepted than they do when interacting with humanassistants. Many nursing-home residents also suffer fromloneliness and boredom, and a robotic assistant programmed to interact withthem and listen/talk to them would provide much-needed companionship. Once the benefits of the assistant were demonstrated, much of theresistance would dissipate, and even if only 1 % of patients were willingto use the assistant, the improvement in quality of care for all patientsat a facility would improve as a result of the human staff having more timeto spend with patients. Therapeutic robots have beendesigned that can perform or help perform some of the tasks that humansperform in the hospital or nursing home. In particular, this essay focuses on the use of robotic nursingassistants of various types for use in hospitals and nursing homes toimprove the quality of care of patients with dementia or Alzheimer'sdisease and to improve the quality of life of the patients.2. Assessment In my opinion, the benefits of the robotic assistant would outweighpotential undesirable and probably temporary side effects such asresistance on the part of families, staff, and patients, as well as fundingissues. Paro is not speech-capable, but there arealready many speech-capable robots in existence whose circuitry could beused in conjunction with Paro's. A speech layer could be added as indicated.Technology could be incorporated from the Nursebot Project, as well, toproduce a robot that is not only entertaining and companionable but whichcan assist the elderly patient in everyday tasks.4. "Automated Aides." Newsday.com. IEEE is the largest professional association in the world that is dedicated to innovation and technology for benefiting humanity. Paro "has features that can increase socialinteractions," an effect that increases when caregivers are present (Kidd,Taggart, & Turkle). Works CitedKidd, Cory D.; Taggart, Will; Turkle, Sherry. Introduction Ever since robots first appeared in early films, the notion that theymight someday replace humans became a possibility. For example, in nursing homes, patients withdementia could profit from robots that can converse with them. They performmonotonous assembly-line work, delicate microsurgery tasks, tasks locatedin dangerous locales, and delivery tasks. RIBA has "very strong human-like arms" and "high-accuracy tactilesensors" that enable it to assist nurses with lifting and placing tasks.Researchers in Ireland have developed an intelligent, self-propelled walkerthat can help the patient avoid walls and objects and even remind theindividual how to find a certain destination, such as the dining room(Lane). As research onthe effects of the Paro robot indicate, 2 -minute sessions with the robotresulted in behavioral improvements in several cases; one patient that hadbeen moaning continuously finally stopped moaning and began to relax andtalk to the therapist, and another individual that had tried often toreturn home stopped this behavior and wandered less than before (Wada,Shibata, Musha, & Kimura 56). Robotic assistants could be programmed torespond to the patients' chatter with expressions such as, "Go on," "mm-hmm," and "How interesting!" They could be equipped with sensors that tellthem when the patient needs comfort and to respond with appropriateexpressions, and they could also monitor the patient's whereabouts, asthese patients tend to wander.3. "The Rise of Cute Robots...at a Price." [video]. From a larger perspective, the robotic assistant could make possiblebetter nursing care overall for patients with dementia or Alzheimer's, asit would not be short on time as a human nurse would be. The article describes the capabilities of robots used in nursing homes, as well as the technology underlying their capabilities."World's first robot that can lift up a human in its arms." Riken-Tri Collaboration Center. Riken-Tri is the developer of the RIBA nursing-care assistant robot, so this web site provides information on both the company and the robot. Funding issues would resolve as the benefits ofthe assistant became apparent and the devices came into greater demand.The fact that the devices save healthcare facilities money would soon bedocumented and would serve to promote their use. It is oftenfrustrating for humans to talk to these patients, because they tend torepeat themselves over and over, lose their train of thought, and becomedepressed or belligerent. However, embedded inthe potential for significant service to humans was the more alarmingpossibility that robots could develop a mind and personality of their ownand wield their power against humans. "Robot Therapy for Elders Affected by Dementia." IEEE Engineering in Biology and Medicine Magazine, (Jul/Aug 2 8), 53-6 . Although thepossibility always exists that a malevolent robot designer could designsoftware that causes the robot to turn against humans, such ideas are lessproblematic today by virtue of the more widespread use of robots to servehumans and the fact that rebellious robots have occurred to date only infiction. The roboticassistant might sufficiently improve the cognition of such patients thatthey would not require the level of care that they otherwise would, andcould retain some independence. Societal Effects The societal effects of widespread use of the robotic assistant wouldbe therapeutic. SagePub. The authors are affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Lane, Earl. Multiple layers are needed to produce aParo-like robot; Paro itself has two layers-one for behavior planning andone for behavior generation. My motivation for investigating robots thatreplace humans is to find out how robots are currently being used in thiscapacity and to propose new uses for them that would increase their benefitto humans. Nontechnical Hindrances There are some nontechnical hindrances to the robotic nursing-homeassistant. This could significantly alter the stateof care for this type of patient, which currently demands nearly continuoushuman surveillance to prevent wandering.6. In addition, funding might bedifficult to obtain, as robotics tend to be quite expensive to develop andpurchase. The Nursebot Project, as "a21st-century effort to develop a personal robotic assistant for frail olderadults at home," alleviates safety concerns because it is predicated onIsaac Asimov's (199 ) three laws of robotics: The robots cannot injuryhumans, must respond to human commands, and "place human existence abovetheir own" (Matthews 4 4). Riken-Tri Collaboration Center for Human-InteractiveRobot Research developed RIBA, a robot that acts as a nursing-careassistant that can lift a human from a bed or wheelchair or set the humandown in either place ("World's first robot that can lift up a human in itsarms"). The use of robots as assistants is one that could be exploited muchmore fully and creatively. Description of Operation Robots already replace humans in a variety of scenarios.
If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again:
or
Click here to request an essay written just for you.
|
|
|
