Industrial First-Aid Robots
Factories in the future may have robots that bring first-aid kits to workers who have minor injuries.
Imagine a factory of the future, which could be much larger than any of the factories that exist today. If a worker is injured in this factory, why should he have to walk to the bathroom to use the first-aid kit? Shouldn't the first-aid kit come to him? With robotic technology, this is possible. A fist aid kit may be placed inside a wheeled robot, and the robot could be programmed to travel to a worker that asks for assistance. The worker would have to go to a call box, these call boxes would be stationed at intervals all over the factory. After pushing a button on the call box to call for help, the robot would be automatically activated. After activation, it would travel towards the person who called for help.
The robot would be powered by batteries, and it would have a camera system in it, so it would be capable of detecting obstacles, and steering around them. Since the robot is battery-powered, it is capable of working during a power failure, when there are no lights on.
When the robot arrives, it opens it's lid to reveal the first-aid kit inside. The kit would contain bandages and other items. When a person cuts their finger, their first reaction is to wash the blood off with water. The first-aid robot would carry a supply of moist towels, wrapped in plastic, that could be used to cleanse wounds. It would also carry a small supply of water, that could be supplied through a plastic hose that protrudes form the top of the robot. Since it carries it's own water supply, it would have an advantage over conventional first-aid kits. The robot would also have a loudspeaker built into it, so it could play recordings of first-aid instructions.
Anthony Ratkov, September 24,2012