QUOTE
ROBOT nurses could be bustling around hospital wards in as little as three years.
The mechanised "angels" - being developed by EU-funded scientists - will perform basic tasks such as mopping up spillages, taking messages and guiding visitors to hospital beds.
They could also be used to distribute medicines and even monitor the temperature of patients remotely with laser thermometers.
Working in teams, the intelligent robots will be able to communicate with each other and co-ordinate their duties.
Scientists from the universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Dublin and Newcastle are among the engineers and software experts taking part in the "IWARD" project. They aim to have a three-robot prototype system ready by 2010.
It is hoped the machines will ease pressure on hospitals and free staff to spend more time with patients.
The mechanised "angels" - being developed by EU-funded scientists - will perform basic tasks such as mopping up spillages, taking messages and guiding visitors to hospital beds.
They could also be used to distribute medicines and even monitor the temperature of patients remotely with laser thermometers.
Working in teams, the intelligent robots will be able to communicate with each other and co-ordinate their duties.
Scientists from the universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Dublin and Newcastle are among the engineers and software experts taking part in the "IWARD" project. They aim to have a three-robot prototype system ready by 2010.
It is hoped the machines will ease pressure on hospitals and free staff to spend more time with patients.
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