Experts design soft, strong robot for healthcare facilities |
By Tan Ee Lyn HONG KONG | Tue Aug 2, 2011 8:17am EDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - Researchers in Japan unveiled a robot on Tuesday that can lift a patient weighing up to 80 kg (176 lbs) off the floor and onto a wheelchair, an innovation they say will free healthcare workers from the back-breaking task. In elderly facilities in Japan, where rapid aging of its society is expected to weigh on the economy, staff are required to lift residents from the floor onto a wheelchair about 40 times a day, a task that is both difficult and energy consuming. Nicknamed RIBA 2, the robot is soft to the touch, moves around on wheels and responds to voice commands. Built with rubber sensors, springs and improved joints at its base and lower back, it can crouch and lift a patient off a Japanese futon, a traditional mat placed on the floor. "It can pick a person up from the floor onto a wheelchair or a bed. The earlier robot could only lift 60 kg," said Shijie Guo, leader of the Robot Implementation Research Team. The team is jointly made up of experts from RIKEN, a natural sciences research institute in Japan, and Tokai Rubber Industries. "It is made of very soft material, of rubber, so it won't hurt a person. Normally, to crouch and lift require a huge motor, which would give us a huge robot. But with this robot, we used a spring," Guo said by telephone. The project was funded by the Japanese government and Tokai, and the creators hope to eventually commercialize the robot, at a time when more resources are needed to cope with challenges posed by aging populations around the world. (Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa) |
Letting people work outside of the office – at home, at client sites or even in the local coffee shop – can improve productivity and morale. It can also help reduce office costs. Many businesses are reluctant to take advantage of these benefits for fear of giving up management control. If you're considering making the move, we've pulled together a list of best practices to consider when giving employees the option to work remotely: 1. It's all about time. Set deadlines. Book phone calls and chats using instant messenger (IM) software. Set yourself a reminder. 2. Know your team. Make sure you spend some face-to-face time with your team, both at work and informally. 3. Share documents. Web services like Windows Live Skydrive make it easy to share documents over the Internet and for remote teams to collaborate. It's free for personal and small business use. For larger teams, an intranet tool such as Microsoft SharePoint may be more efficient. 4. Measure. Find ways to monitor and track work that people are doing. This will build trust and replace more informal, face-to-face supervision. 5. Delegate effectively. Set objectives that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. 6. Respect people's personal time. Don't fall into the trap of treating remote workers as if they're on call 24/7 simply because you can contact them outside 'normal' office hours. 7. Take pictures. Post pictures of your team members (or people on a conference call) on a website or pin board so that you can visualize people when you talk to them. 8. Listen. In an office you can see when someone is upset, angry or bored. When they're on the end of a telephone, you need to listen actively and ask questions to find out how they're doing. 9. Trust and be trusted. Trust builds when people do what they say they are going to do. As a boss, you need to set the highest standards of consistency and reliability. When you say you're going to do something, do it. 10. Take turns. Let other people run meetings occasionally. 11. Get objective feedback. Use 360-degree appraisals and customer or peer surveys to make sure your virtual team is working well. 12. Keep a schedule. Use a shared calendar to book meetings and share your schedule with your team (and vice versa). 13. Be a role model. Set an example with your own punctuality, commitment, reliability and availability. 14. Give recognition. It costs nothing to write a thank you note or to give praise where it is due. Recognition is a powerful motivator. 15. Change your management style. Switch from managing by input (time in the office) to managing by output (goals met). 16. Avoid second-class citizens. Once you've proven the concept, everybody should get a chance to work flexibly (unless their job prevents it). Don't give one person a notebook while chaining a colleague to their desk. 17. Training. Train managers and employees about the challenges and techniques of flexible working. Don't assume that everyone knows how to do it well – they don't. Individuals may need extra help with, say, writing reports or using IT. 18. Don't isolate people. Encourage regular visits to the main workplace and include flexible workers in company social events. Put procedures in place to monitor for stress and counteract it. 19. Over-communicate. Many remote and home workers use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, or using the Internet as a telephone connection). Many notebooks include a built-in webcam that makes it easier to do video conferencing. 20. Share applications in real time. Services like Virtual Rooms can help teams in different places share their desktop applications and documents in real time. It's a great companion to conference calls. 21. Get the right technology. It goes without saying that you need technology to make virtual and remote teams work effectively. But there is a big difference between 'good enough' and 'best practice.' It can be very frustrating when people try to video conference and their PC isn't fast enough to cope with HD graphics and desktop sharing at the same time, or if you don't have a fast enough mobile broadband connection so that people can't log in and download files quickly. . |
You've always been taught to cultivate good habits and avoid bad ones. The same applies to your computer use, where habits are good, bad or ugly. Good habits can maximise your IT investment and optimise your operational efficiency, while bad ones can cost you money and slow you down. The ugly ones can lead to disaster and an ugly mess. Here's a list of computer habits you should kick start into your regular routine to keep you going – in the right direction! 1. Save frequently To avoid any data loss in case of software or system freezing, regularly save your changes to documents. Doing so only takes a second and won't interrupt your productivity groove. Use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + S", or click on the "Save" icon – the old floppy disk in the toolbar. Don't rely on "AutoSave", as it's not a feature on every program. 2. Backup Don't risk losing your files by not having them backed up. With damage, loss and theft all possible, no hard drive is guaranteed to be functional forever. Recovering data is often impossible and more costly and time consuming than people think. Tireless efforts on work-related documents can be preserved by simply copying files to a few DVDs, USB drive or portable hard drive, at regular intervals. 3. Think before you print A hard copy is required sometimes, but not every time. So before clicking "Print", determine if you really need to hold a copy of the document in your hand. And if you do, do you really need the entire thing? Use "Print Preview" and the option of selecting a "Page range" to print only the pages you actually need. And use the double-sided printing feature where available – to print multiple pages onto only one sheet of paper. It would also be helpful to set your printer to print in black and white by default, manually choosing colour prints only when necessary. All of these printing habits will have a positive impact on your environmental initiatives and can save you money by using less ink and paper. 4. Structure folders Where do you save your files? Is everything scattered all over the desktop or stuffed into the "My Documents" folder? Maintain some order by creating folders and subfolders while giving your files appropriate names. It will only take a few extra seconds to do so, but will save you much more time in the future by being able to easily find and sort through files. 5. Store software keys Make a note of software licence keys and store them safely. In the event of your needing to re-install or activate a program, having its corresponding licence key handy can be the difference between completing a simple re-installation and having to go out and purchase a new one. 6. Invest in security software Protect your IT investment, your hard work and yourself! Viruses, spyware, adware and other malicious software are topics in the news for a reason. These threats can infect your computer without your even realising it. But do you know what kind of damage they can cause? They can delete or damage files, track your online activity, steal personal information and just outright annoy you by having a poorly performing computer. Take action before they do by investing in sufficient security software. When you do, keep the software up to date and scan your computer regularly to maintain optimum performance and productivity. 7. Blink. Yes, with your eyes Staring at a computer screen for extended periods of time can have a negative effect on your precious eyesight. Computer users tend to blink less frequently, so make it a habit to blink more often. Why? Blinking produces tears that coat the eyes, keeping them lubricated and moist. Other habits to preserve and protect your eyesight include focusing on distant objects every 15 minutes to relax your eye muscles, and to just take a break every hour or two to reduce eyestrain. Your eyes will thank you. Where each of these habits ranks on a scale of importance is up for debate. However, it's essential that you incorporate them into your daily routine, to prolong the life of your computer, save time, hassles and money, and free yourself to focus on the business that really matters. . |
