Henry Evans is a mute quadriplegic, having suffered a stroke
when he was just 40 years old. Following extensive therapy,
Henry regained the ability to move his head and use a finger,
which allows him to operate computers. Last year, Henry caught a
TV interview of Georgia Tech Professor Charlie Kemp showing
research with the Willow Garage PR2 robot. Willow Garage and
Professor Kemp were contacted by Henry shortly afterwards, and
we have been collaborating since then. We are currently
exploring ways for Henry to use a PR2 robot as his surrogate.
Every day, people take for granted the simple act of scratching
an itch. In Henry's case, 2-3 times every hour of every day he
gets an itch he can't scratch. With the aid of a PR2, Henry was
able to scratch an itch for himself for the first time in 10
years. While this is only a first step, it demonstrates how
people with severe physical disabilities could use personal
robots to gain independence. In another example, Henry recently
used the PR2 to shave his cheek. We ar