Dr. HAL will see you now — uBOT5 is the real WALL•E

At least this doctor won't whine about cuts in Medicare reimbursement.

uBOT5 is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst School of CyberMedicine, whose scientists created it.

Here's Ranit Mishori's story from the August 5, 2008 Washington Post Health section.

Someone — No, Some Thing — to Watch Over You

This uBOT5 robot, created by scientists from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is programmed to act if you suddenly find that you're in trouble.

It can use a stethoscope to listen to your heart, and it can dial 911. If you've fallen, there's no need to press a button or shout; sensors near the robot's video-screen head can detect the problem and summon help.

The robot can also set up a video call with a doctor using a webcam, a microphone and touch-sensitive LCD screen.

As for more-mundane tasks, the robot can offer help around the house by picking up small packages and carrying groceries.

Digitrobotics, a Boston-based start-up, is manufacturing several robots in collaboration with UMass and MIT.

"It is our goal to use these technologies in an in-home-assistant robot," said Bryan Thibodeau, a principal of Digitrobotics and a graduate student at the perceptual robotics lab at UMass.

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