Bill Gates Backs 'Huggable' Medical Robot

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is throwing Microsoft money at a Belgian company called Anty, which is developing "an intelligent, autonomous HUGGY ROBOT." Gates is quoted in a HealthEurope article as saying, "They are creating a robot called 'Probo' (I don't like the sound of THAT. -Ed.) which will be used as a tele-interface to interact with the children on three different levels: entertainment, communication and medical treatments. The R&MM research group will take care of the mechanical part of the robot, whereas ETRO will focus on the aspects of vision, hearing and speech."