A fetching robot

El-E is five feet tall, designed to learn from its mistakes, fetches items and is modeled after assistive guide dogs to help those with disabilities live more independently. El-E is also a robot. And with its laser pointing system, some Star Wars fans might find it to be as cool as useful.

Charlie Kemp, who designed the robot, has made efforts to make it interactive and "somehwat anthropomorphic". Robots like this may be available in ten years to assist as home health care aides, depending on funding. They can do limited tasks such as fetching, bringing pills or other items. They can also open doors.

There is still significant research to be done in order to make robots like El-E function in real homes on a daily basis," Kemp said. "Real homes contain a diverse array of objects, have obstacles that make robot navigation difficult, have varied lighting, contain fragile items, provide shelter to pets and family members, and have messy areas."

Kemp has been working for more than a year with Jonathan Glass, a neurology professor at Emory University in Atlanta and director of the Emory ALS Center. via cnn.com

You can also visit Charlie Kemp's home page for more information and to see a picture of the robot. In the video below, you can watch El-E open a door.

El-E was also featured on Engadget with a cool shot of its laser at work. More pix at Gearlog.