The New Lifesavers From: AARP Magazine - Nov/Dec-2008 - page 15 The company that made "I've fallen and I can't get up" a national catch phrase has created a new gadget. Life Aletr's latest SOS device, is also a watch, giving subscribers a functional and fashioable way to call for help. Available this January, the aeterproof timepiece even works in the shower, where many falls occur. Immobolozed wearers simply press a button and company dispatchers contact designated helpers or emergency staff. In time, however, that watch may be replaced by a home health care robot. The uBot-5 now under development by the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics, can call 911 and do simple diagnostics to alert EMTs. Plus, it performs household chores (it even takes out the trash) and connects to the Internet, letting long-distance caregivers see in-home action. The robot could be available for home use by 2018. Links: Life Alert http://www.lifealert.com Perfect Helper: Is a Robot in Your Future? http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/yourhome/articles/perfect_helper__is.html Robots and sensors to help elderly stay independent http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/yourhome/articles/robots_and_sensors_to_help_elderly_stay_independent.html uBot-5 http://www-robotics.cs.umass.edu/Robots/UBot-5