I grew up in the era when the most popular robots were R2D2 from the blockbuster movie Star Wars and Johnny 5 in the movie Short Circuit. Back then, robots were cool, but not as awesome as they are today.
Now, more than ever, robots can be a great source of technology for someone with a disability to maintain or increase independence. Twenty-three years ago, Henry Evans suffered a massive stroke that paralyzed him from the neck down. Afterward, he became deeply depressed. I can empathize, because it must be traumatic to go from being totally independent to depending on someone to do everything for you. Henry had lost hope of having any kind of quality of life until a robot named Stretch entered his life.
Stretch is the robot Henry created to help enhance his independence. Stretch can assist Henry with things like scratching his head, eating a snack, and playing with his granddaughter. These are simple daily activities for those without disabilities that are truly taken for granted.
Henry was able to bring Stretch to life with help from the computer company, Hello Robot. Hello Robot is a mega robotics company. One of their missions is to create robots to assist people with all needs. Henry’s mission aligned perfectly with theirs. Together, they are helping so many more individuals with disabilities become more independent.
Thanks to assistance from Stretch, Henry can do more things that make him feel productive, including songwriting. Henry is a country and western songwriter and has produced many songs that you can search on streaming platforms for your listening pleasure.
Did you know: no matter how much you do for a person with a disability, or how often you offer to assist them, the person still wants to do things for themselves? I know I do! Doing things for myself makes me feel empowered. I’m just keeping it real!
If Stretch or any other robot can help me to achieve independence no matter how big or how small the action, I’m all for it. As the world turns and technology continues to grow, I’m hopeful there will be even more scientific developments that can help people with disabilities achieve even more. I can’t wait to see how robots will play a role!