Bill Gates gets behind huggable children's robot

There no question that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has already cemented his legacy as a programmer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and all-around pioneer of the digital age. So at this stage, you can't really blame the guy if he chooses to rest on his laurels and enjoy his many billions of dollars. Despite this fact, Gates continues to press on: his latest endeavor finds him putting his investment muscle behind the push toward the robotics frontier. Gates recently invested in Anty, a Belgian company working to develop "an intelligent, autonomous huggy robot." "Probo," the green, fuzzy, vaguely Gonzo-esque character pictured above, will be used to comfort, entertain and communicate with pint-sized hospital patients during extended stays. "The development and construction of a first prototype has started and is hoped to be available towards 2008," Gates says of the robot. "The prototype will support the further growth of the project. Alongside the technical research possibilities, the prototype will be used to examine the opportunities for using Anty in medical, social and psychological research. This research will provide relevant feedback to optimize the prototype towards a useful 'social' robot."

For more on Gates and Probo:
- see this article from E-Health Europe