Japanese scientists have created quite a realistic child robot to train pediatric dentists to deal with nervous little patients
The robot is called Pedia_Roid and can move its eyes, arms, and legs to copy human emotions like anxiety and resistance.
However, dental students might not exactly be able to afford the robot as it costs 25 million Japanese yen (£153,000).
With 24 degrees of freedom, the robot can move its head, tongue, eyelids, arms, chest, even pulse, and of course mouth.
The bot’s mouth movements are not simple opening and closing but also sneezing, coughing, and vomiting. Body movements are also diversified including convulsions and writhing.
Pedia_Roid even has a pulse and can fake bleeding.
‘Pedia_Roid not just develops symptoms but also throws a tantrum, forcing students to tolerate while trying to treat the child,’ said Yui Kawakubo, CEO of tmsuk, the company that invented the robot.
It is 3.6 ft in height and weighs about 25 kilograms, which makes it seem like a five-year-old boy.
“Featuring voice recognition, this robot can open its mouth according to the doctor’s instructions and perform unexpected movements and coughing,” tmsuk explains on its website.
“New doctors, nurses and EMTs often panic under pressure because they’ve only practised on motionless dummies,” it adds.
Currently, it is unclear if and when the robot will be launched.
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