A dozen years after founding Computer Motion, a Goleta-based surgical robotics company, Yulun Wang is working on a different kind of health-care robot. Instead of helping surgeons to be more precise, his next project aims to improve the quality of life for senior citizens and lighten the load of health-care professionals.

InTouch Health was formed in response to two intersecting demographic trends: a rising senior citizen population, and a shrinking workforce of nurses and other skilled caregivers. "This is one of the biggest societal problems we're starting to face, and will increasingly face," Wang said.

To help health workers do more with less, InTouch Health has developed a working prototype of a robot that could be used in homes, assisted-living centers or hospitals.

One of the robot's major functions will be to remind people to do things like take their medication, use the bathroom, or turn off a stove. Such forgetfulness is the reason why many seniors are unable to continue living independently, even if they don't need the medical care or close observation of a long-term care center.

The robot would also serve as an interface between the patient and a family member, nurse, physical therapist or other caregiver. Equipped with a video screen and camera, the robot would allow the patient social interaction with another person, while the remote caregiver could provide higher-level care than the robot could alone.

"Robotics and the idea of meeting senior needs at home with technology is revolutionary. It could change how people look at long-term care," said Joel Thiesen, whose Campbell, Calif., business, Advolife Inc., coordinates health care, home management and other services to help seniors live independently.

Thiesen believes that once they get used to the idea of a robot trailing them around, seniors would appreciate the independence it provides. Seniors are very resistant to having people in their homes, while a robot performing the same tasks as a human caregiver would seem less intrusive, he said.

The company expects to begin beta-testing its robot by the end of this year, with potential partners including Silverado Senior Living Facility, Johns Hopkins University and the Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara.

"We're very enthusiastic about partnering with InTouch Health to look at the potential for robotics in rehabilitation," said Pat Forgey, vice president of business development at the Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara.

The Rehabilitation Institute has been interested in using teleconferencing, but Forgey said the technology has been limited by its stationary nature. Although a fixed camera and video screen work well to communicate with family, physical therapists need to see their patient move around.

"We would like to … follow up with patients once they leave, and need to observe movement of their body and see them perform activities of daily living," such as working in the kitchen or navigating a front step, Forgey said. The mobile robot "gives us flexibility and a real different way of being able to use the benefits of video," she added.

Wang said that beta testing will help identify more needs and opportunities for the technology.

A former president, and now chief technology officer and board member, of Computer Motion, Wang has had a bird's-eye view of health care and robotics. The company's products have evolved in response to surgeons' needs and advancing technology over the years.

Computer Motion had $25 million in sales last year from its four products: the Aesop endoscope postioner, the Zeus robotic surgical system, the Hermes control center, and Socrates, which allows for telecollaboration and telesurgery.

InTouch Health was started about a year ago with seed money from its founders. Located at the Santa Barbara Technology Incubator, its staff of nine is working in five different areas of technology.

Robotics technology will allow the company's machines to move and function, while artificial intelligence will let the robots act independently to some degree. The company is also developing broadband software and interface technology for the remote caregiver, who will need little more than a computer, broadband connection, and a joystick from the company. It is also designing an open architecture so third-party devices can plug in to add other features.

Technology in the health-care industry is very fragmented, Thiesen said. "There are a lot of individual devices and solutions for one issue, like a medicine-management system. What InTouch Health is doing that's really exciting is to create an open platform to incorporate multiple devices with one platform," he said.

Health care is a big field for emerging technologies, from medical instruments and diagnostics to information and resource management systems. Care for the elderly is one area with a lot of potential.

According to the AARP, the number of people over the age of 65 in the United States doubled from approximately 17 million in 1960 to 35 million in 2000. By 2020, the number will be closer to 54 million, and by 2030 it will have doubled again to almost 70 million.

The Assisted Living Federation of America reports that the population of people older than 85 is projected to increase by one-third between 2000 and 2010, and the 6.5 million people who need assistance with daily living activities are expected to double by 2020.

At the same time, nurses continue to be in short supply: The U.S. Department of Labor has stated that 450,000 registered nurses will be needed by the year 2008. Aging is affecting this group as well - a third of the nursing workforce is reportedly 50 years old or older.

InTouch Health is not the first to develop a health-care robot.

One health-care robot called the HelpMate is already in use in hospitals across the country. Created by San Diego-based Pyxis Corp., the HelpMate can carry things like pharmaceuticals, test results or bandages, and navigate the hospital with little direction.

Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute and the School of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh are collaborating on a "nursebot." Now in its second generation, the project received a National Science Foundation grant of $1.4 million last year.

The nursebot is more like the InTouch Health robot than the HelpMate. It is designed to provide patients with reminders and facilitate video communications, as well as for surveillance, which could include keeping track of the patient's vital signs. Its capabilities include navigating inside a building, physical tasks such as opening a jar, and following simple voice commands or answering certain questions.

Robotics was a $730 million-plus industry for North American manufacturers last year, representing a 30 percent decline from 2000. However, the Robotics Industry Association reported signs of recovery in the first quarter of 2002, which saw 2,350 robot orders from North American customers, a 1 percent increase from the same period in 2001.

The most popular use for robots is in factories, particularly automotive factories, where they work tirelessly and precisely. The Robotics Industry Association estimates that 120,000 robots are used in United States factories