Online Magazine
A More Human Robot
"Cat!apult" is the new podcast about start-ups with big ideas – Rafael Hostettler, General Manager of Devanthro GmbH, is the first to take a seat in it, together with "Roboy", a robot in which the boundaries between man and machine are becoming more and more blurred.
by Tobias Imbach
The first episode of "Cat!apult" deals with topics that some would classify as science fiction: long journeys into space, immortality, the fusion of man and machine. If Swiss Rafael Hostettler has his way, "science fiction" will soon be replaced by "science facts" – with the help of "Roboy". If Rafael Hostettler and his start-up Devanthro GmbH in Munich succeed in developing "Roboy" as far as planned, the robot will change humanity:
Created in a 3D printer, "Roboy" is built to mimic the human locomotor system. The vision is as simple as it is clear: the robot should be just as robust, flexible and powerful as a human body. But it should be able to do even more. The human body is not built to last, sooner or later we die – with a robot's body, humans could make themselves immortal and actually embark on a journey that lasts light years. Now it's "just" a matter of figuring out how to achieve this goal.
In the podcast, Rafael Hostettler looks far into the future, but he also gives an insight into the current behavioural patterns and possible uses of the friendly robot, which instantly becomes a crowd favourite at public appearances. "Roboy" is very popular with people ... and soon he could enrich our lives by being used in everyday tasks such as nursing.
RAFAEL HOSTETTLER
Zurich/Munich
Rafael Hostettler is Proud Robot Dad and General Manager at the Munich-based start-up Devanthro GmbH. Since completing his Master's degree at ETH Zurich in 2012, he has been building robots modelled on the human body.
