Georgia Tech's Healthcare Robotics Lab and Willow Garage have collaborated on a project designed to help quadriplegics perform daily tasks.  This project, called Robots for Humanity, is currently aiding Henry Evans, who after suffering a stroke at 40, lost most of his physical abilities.  Through therapy, he has regained control of one finger and his head, thus allowing him to control a computer and a robot.  

The robot, known as PR2, is controlled by Evans via a custom user interface.  PR2 is a human sized, two-armed robot on wheels that can shave Evans' face or doing household tasks.  "Though the number of people in Henry's particular situation is relatively small, the population of people who might benefit from robotic assistance is very large. Our research could potentially benefit people with less severe impairments, including older adults and people with short-term injuries," says Charlie Kemp, an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech.  

Kemp is an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. His research focuses on healthcare robotics with an emphasis on autonomous robot manipulation and human-robot interaction.