Automation for Invalids

Bedridden invalids may soon become self-sufficient with the aid of a new machine that enables them to get in and out of bed without help. Developed by an aircraft design engineer named Leslie L. Miller, the Auto-Nurse is a complicated arrangement of harness, pulleys and cables powered by a tiny (1/12 h.p.) electric motor with high gear ratio and operated from a master control in the patient's hand. By pressing a button, the invalid can raise himself gently and silently off the bed, move to left or right, or lower himself into a bedside wheelchair. The machine has safety features so that the patient will not be dropped in the event of short circuits. Worst consequence: patient could be left suspended if power failed altogether, but Inventor Miller says that even then the patient would still be reasonably comfortable. When something goes wrong, a red light flashes and a bell rings on the front door of the house, summoning aid. Probable cost of the soon-to-be-marketed Auto-Nurse: $1,000.

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