Health Tech Conference: How robots will improve healthcare

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Health Tech Conference: How robots will improve healthcare

The Autom Robot

The Autom Robot

Robots are beginning to play a key role in improving healthcare outcomes and lowering costs.   One example is Autom, a socially interactive weight loss coach which not only tracks calories and activities but also provides personalized feedback and reinforcement.  Research shows that this robotic reinforcement keeps patients engaged and improves outcomes.  Autom is the first of a series of similar robots planned by Dr. Cory Kidd Ph.D, CEO of  Intuitive Automata.

Dr. Kidd will be part of a high-powered panel on the topic of “How robots can be used in healthcare” at  the upcoming Health Technology Forum Conference  being held on April 19th in San Francisco.   Dr. Kidd holds a Ph.D in human-robot interaction at the MIT Media Lab, where the New Media Medicine group is a leader in healthcare innovation.

The conference will feature a full day of presentations, panel discussions, workshops and health tech demonstrations on a wide variety of health tech topics.  While the theme of the conference is Platforms for the Underserved, the tools and technologies on the agenda impact all areas of healthcare.  Other members of the robotics panel include:

  • Steve Cousins is CEO of Willow Garage which has recently partnered with the Healthcare Robotics Laboratory at Georgia Tech to program a PR2 robot to help a severely disabled man named Henry Evans.  Mr. Evans is a mute quadrapalegic who can only move his head and one finger.  Using the PR2, he is able to pick up and move objects, shave one cheek and (for the first time in 10 years) is able to scratch himself when he itches.

 

  • At Adept Mobile Robotics, Vice President & General Manager Rush LaSelle’s organization has partnered with healthcare logistics provider Swisslog to introduce Robocourier.  This robot transports specimens, lab samples and pharmaceuticals at hospitals and clinics which saves staff time and increases the speed and accuracy of deliveries.

 

  • Andra Keay is CEO of Robot LaunchPad, an accelerator which focuses on robotics applications in healthcare and other disciplines.  His team is involved in a number of early stage companies developing healthcare robotics.

 

Robotics is expected to be part of the solution to the  projected  shortage of medical professionals over the next 20 years.  This shortage is being fueled by the retirement of baby-boom medical professionals combined with the high level of care required by the growing elderly population and also by the needs of approximately 30 million people newly insured by the Affordable Care Act.

At the  Health Technology Forum Conference on  April 19th in San Francisco,  the healthcare robotics panel is just one of the many opportunities to learn about the transformational technologies which are changing health care.   Please sign up now and let your friends and colleagues know about the conference.

Mike Allen – Allen Management Consulting

Pronoy
Pronoy
Pronoy is the Organizer and Founder of Health Technology Forum (HTF), a socially responsible organization promoting technology access and adoption to bring better healthcare to the masses. He is an advisor, board member, and has founded companies in the health 2.0 space. Pronoy has 20 years experience in technology, most recently in the healthcare, mobile, and service provider marketplaces. Pronoy held senior management positions in large conglomerates as well as startup companies. Pronoy earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and Master’s of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco.
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