In 2016, Hanson Robotics conquered the world with Sophia, a robot who even earned Saudi citizenship.
Today, the Hong Kong-based robotics company unveiled its latest invention: Grace, a humanoid robot nurse that aims to revolutionize healthcare.
Designed as an assistant for doctors, the Grace nurse android is equipped with sensors, including a thermal imager to detect a patient's temperature and pulse, to help doctors diagnose illnesses and provide treatments.
A robotic nurse
Grace also provides companionship to patients. Specializing in elderly care, with her three languages (English, Mandarin and Cantonese) the nurse can socialize and even conduct speech therapy.
And now the disclaimer you all expect: Robots like Grace, says the founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics David Hanson, are intended as support for medical professionals rather than substitutes.
Using artificial intelligence and robotics in this context can help collect important data for healthcare professionals to assess patient well-being.
David Hanson
Developed specifically for the medical sector
The launch of the Grace Nurse Robot comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, with a sharp rise in demand for telemedicine and remote assistance solutions.
According l 'International Federation of Robotics (IFR), global sales of medical robots were already on the rise before the pandemic, with a 28% increase between 2018 and 2019, and the IFR predicts that the value of the sector it could practically double over the next three years.
Hanson Robotics says it will begin mass production of robots, including Sophia and Grace, at the end of 2021.
