Introducing a fleet of social robots in a hospital, so that they can interact with children affected by cancer, will be the final outcome of a new international research project that Universidad Carlos III of Madrid is participating in. The objective is to design and build these devices and to advance the study of societies in which humans and robots mix.

The MOnarCH project (Multi-Robot Cognitive Systems Operating in Hospitals), which involves researchers from approximately ten European companies and research centers, intends to introduce a set of robots that collaborate with medical personnel, relating with the children who are patients in the pediatric ward of the hospital of the Instituto Portugués de Oncología de Lisboa (Portuguese Oncological Institute of Lisbon).

There are several cases that have shown that interacting with robots can be beneficial for certain patients. In the United Kingdom, for example, studies have explored the possibility of using social robots with autistic children. And in Japan, the robot known as Paro (which is shaped like a baby seal, with white fur and black eyes) has been successfully used to improve the state of mind of elderly people and to reduce stress among patients and their caregivers. In fact, it was used in some cases to treat the depression suffered by survivors of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated the northeast coast of Japan in March of 2011.

The objective of the MonarCH project is to further advance in this direction, making a significant qualitative leap forward. Rather than using a single robot, they will use several formats simultaneously. And instead of attending to a single patient, the fleet of robots will relate with all of the patients on the floor. "In addition, we intend to move forward in the development of robots that can carry on autonomously for long periods of time without the aid of their operators, which is something that at this point has not been achieved in such complex situations," comments the head of the project at UC3M, Miguel Ángel Salichs, a full professor in the University's Systems Engineering and Automation Department.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given 510(k) clearance to RP-VITA, developed jointly by iRobot Corp and InTouch Health. It's touted as the first autonomous navigation remote presence robot to get the nod from the FDA.

RP-VITA combines autonomous navigation and mobility technologies developed by iRobot with telemedicine and electronic health record (EHR) integration developed by Goleta, Calif.-based InTouch Health. Officials say it allows remote doctor-to-patient consults, ensuring physicians have access to the necessary clinical information where and when they need it.

The robot is able to map its own environment and uses an array of sensors to autonomously move about a busy space without interfering with people or other objects, officials say. Its iPad interface allows a doctor to visit a patient, and communicate with hospital staff and patients with a single click, regardless of their location.

"FDA clearance of a robot that can move safely and independently through a fast-paced, chaotic and demanding hospital environment is a significant technological milestone for the robotics and healthcare industries," said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot, in a statement.

"There are very few environments as difficult to maneuver as that of a busy ICU or emergency department," he added. "Having crossed this technology threshold, the potential for self-navigating robots in other markets, and for new applications, is virtually limitless."

This FDA clearance means RP-VITA can be used for active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative and post-surgical settings such as cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological and critical care assessments and examinations.

"Remote presence solutions have proven their worth in the medical arena for quite some time," said Yulun Wang, chairman and CEO of InTouch Health. "RP-VITA has undergone stringent testing, and we are confident that the robot's ease of use and unique set of capabilities will enable new clinical applications and uses."

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The 5-foot-4-inch, 140-pound “telemedicine” robot is designed to help patients with health emergencies get more rapid treatment from specialists — especially at night, when hospital staff levels are lower.

“Telemedicine is about getting the right expertise to the right place at the right time,” said InTouch chief executive Yulun Wang. “If a patient has a stroke and comes into the emergency room, you better get a stroke neurologist there quickly. Otherwise, through sheer delay, it can be a matter of life or death.”

Called RP-VITA, the robot allows doctors to virtually visit patients in distant locations, carrying on conversations and even taking measurements in real time. Equipped with cameras, microphones, 3-D mapping sensors, a stethoscope, and a video screen “head” that automatically swivels to listen to voices, the robot transmits and receives video, audio, and navigation instructions over a Wi-Fi broadband connection.

Doctors, patients, and hospital staff control the robot with a specialized terminal or via a software application that runs on Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet computer, and talk to one another using a Skype-like video chat displayed on the robot’s main screen.

“I can get data I never had over the phone,” said Dr. Jason Knight, a pediatric emergency care physician at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County in California, who has been testing a prototype of the robot. “There’s never been one time I’ve used it and said, ‘That was a waste of time.’ I always see something I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

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Two people who are virtually paralyzed from the neck down have learned to manipulate a robotic arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach out and grab objects. One of them, a woman, was able to retrieve a bottle containing coffee and drink it from a straw — the first time she had served herself since her stroke 15 years earlier, scientists reported on Wednesday.

“She had a smile on her face that I and the research team will never forget,” said Dr. Leigh R. Hochberg of the Department of Veterans Affairs, an author of a study reporting the achievement.

The report, released online by the journal Nature, is the first published demonstration that humans with severe brain injuries can effectively control a prosthetic arm, using tiny brain implants that transmit neural signals to a computer.

Scientists have predicted for years that this brain-computer connection would one day allow people with injuries to the brain and spinal cord to live more independent lives. Previously, researchers had shown that humans could learn to move a computer cursor with their thoughts, and that monkeys could manipulate a robotic arm.

The technology is not yet ready for use outside the lab, experts said, but the new study is an important step forward, providing dramatic evidence that brain-controlled prosthetics are within reach.

“It is a spectacular result, in many respects,” said John Kalaska, a neuroscientist at the University of Montreal who was not involved in the study, “and really the logical next step in the development of this technology. This is the kind of work that has to be done, and it’s further confirmation of the feasibility of using this kind of approach to give paralyzed people some degree of autonomy.”