A Robot for Life

One Sunday in May I read in my local Sunday newspaper about a new medical robot in Carmichael, California. Now that June is here and I am cleaning off my desk, the article is at hand, and I can tell you what caught my eye. The new robot is called RP-VITA, which is short for Remote Presence Virtual Independent Telemedicine Assistant. RP-VITA is a fourth-generation telemedicine robot controlled by a tablet (computer)--and soon by an iPhone--that has videoconferencing capabilities, so doctors can see the patient in an emergency. RP-VITA can also move itself around. Vita, vitae f. is a Latin noun that means “life,” source of English words vital and vitality, and a hopeful acronym for a life-saving robot.