Researchers at UC San Diego https://ucsd.edu, UCLA, UC Irvine, and San Diego State University received a grant award for $1.2 Million from the UC MRPI Grant Program to develop an advanced class of mobile telemanipulation robots.
These easy to operate low cost robots called UC Iris will be used to grasp objects, open doors, and perform other tasks to advance telehealth as the robots will help healthcare workers to safely conduct remote exams without becoming infected.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have largely relied on static telehealth technologies such as Zoom and telemedicine carts to reduce infection risks. However, they must physically deliver the technologies, train patients to use them, and troubleshoot technical issues while at the patient’s bedside.
According to Laurel Riek, Professor, UC San Diego’s Computer Science and Engineering Department and Director, Healthcare Robotics Lab https://healthrobotics.uxsd.edu, “We will design new haptic interfaces tactile sensing modalities and shared control methods for telemanipulation. Healthcare workers will then have robots that will enable new ways to safely treat patients.”
The researchers will work closely with healthcare workers across the UC system, including emergency medicine specialists and hospitalists, to integrate UC Iris into critical care settings. They will also explore how robots can improve the quality of life for isolated groups.
Go to https://ucop.edu/research-initiatives/programs/mrpi/index.html for more information on the MRPI Grant Program. The total funding portfolio of active MRPI grants are approximately $48 million.