The Journal of mHealth Vol 2 Issue 2 (Apr 2015) | Page 15

Industry News

Open-Source Robotics Turns
Hospitalised Children into Virtual
Explorers
A new system is hoping to enhance the
lives of sick or terminally ill and bedbound children, by allowing them to selfdirect a first-hand, virtual experience of
a day trip to London Zoo.
The Robots-for-Good open-source data
project, which features on web platform
Wevolver, utilises an InMoov humanoid
robot and an Open Wheels Segway, combined with Oculus Rift, a virtual reality
head-mounted display. The system basically allows a person to navigate through
the eyes of a robot, even to the extent of
being able to move the robot's head and
adjust your outlook.
The project almost floundered though
the lack of a viable means for the
InMoov robot to manoeuvre; the prospect of legs is still some way off. However Robots-for-Good founder Richard
Hulskes, hit on a creative solution: the
use of another open-source project
called Open Wheels, which enabled the
robot to drive on the wheels of a Segway.
“There is a huge community around

the robots already, with more than 300
people around the world building the
robots," says Hulskes, “… but they’re
doing it without legs. However, there’s
also a huge community building this
open source Segway. The only thing
we’re doing is bringing them all together
and mixing them up and making sure
that they work together.”
Since launching the website, Robots-forGood has attracted interest from engineers and designers from all around the
world who want to help. They now have
a team in London working on the design
and one in the US working on the software. Hulskes is also working with Great
Ormond Street hospital and London
Zoo to begin trialling the technology.
The project is also aiming to give young
people an intro to working with robots by
partnering with Ultimaker, a 3D printing
company with a heavy emphasis on education. It will oversee children as they assemble the final product in maker-spaces
throughout London. They’ll learn skills
including 3D printing and simple coding.

But perhaps the most remarkable part
of the Robots-for-Good project is its
surprisingly low cost. Where consumerfacing robots can often cost in the range
of £65,605, the Robots for Good prototype can theoretically be produced for as
little as £1,640.
“Because our robot is 3D printable, it’s
easily replicable, says Hulskes. “Plus
there is no need to make a profit so
we can directly link people to the supply chain and tell them where to buy the
cheapest parts and what machines to use.
It’s an example of how people can now
start building products themselves and
don’t have to wait for big companies to
do it for them.”
The potential to give hospital bound
patients the ability to explore new environments, beyond the confines of the
hospital setting, are significant. The project hopes to help aid rehabilitation and
reduce some of the difficulties associated with long-term hospital stays.
Source: connect.innovateuk.org n

ResearchKit to Give Scientists Easy
Access to Study Subjects and Data
Apple has announced the release of ResearchKit, an opensource software tool designed to give scientists a new way to
gather information on patients by using their iPhones.
The format will allow users to decide if they want to participate in a
study and decide how their data is to be shared as part of the study.
It will also give researchers access to accelerometer, microphone,
gyroscope and GPS sensors in the iPhone to gain insight into a
patient's gait, motor impairment, fitness, speech and memory.
The software is designed to help researchers build more diverse
study populations, which traditionally have been limited by
physical proximity to large academic medical centres.
Continued on page 17

The Journal of mHealth

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