Get Picked up by a Japanese Bear Nurse – RIBA

I started my working life in the NHS.

First on the YTS (Youth Training Scheme) but left 13 years later as the Systems Manager and Admin and Clerical Supervisor in Medical Imaging.

So? Well, I have great respect for the NHS and the work all the staff perform on a daily basis: Porters, Doctors, Surgeons, Clerical workers but nurses generally have it hardest.

Now, when someone mentions a bare nurse it takes me back to some of those Christmas parties and Student Nurse bashes….what?

Bear Nurses – not Bare nurses?

Huh?

Ah – Japan….

The clever bods over in Japan are looking to bring in robot nurses – we kinda already know this and as such would make quite a tame article.

This, though, is Riba, apparently the world first robot able to lift human beings in it’s arms and it also happens to be a giant teddy bear!

Riba (or Robot for Interactive Body Assistance) was developed by the state-run Riken research center as an upgrade to 2006’s Ri-man robot.

Ri-Man could lift 40 pounds but the cute nurse (arf!) can lift 134 pounds.

Riba is designed to take on that difficult job of transferring patients from beds to wheel chairs – anyone that has tried this probably now has a back problem!

The padded paws are packed with foam so as to avoid injury and add to the cuddlesomeness.

Personally I think anything that takes away the risk of nurses hurting themselves (even big male nurses can put their back out lifting a patient) is a good idea – A few of these bear-bots would probably lower the incidents of leave due to back pain – also the bears could probably carry a keg or two of beer to the next party 😉

Check out the video below to see RIBA in action 🙂