Digital twin for Robot4Care
ICT & Technology
Client company:Catharina hospital
Project description
The Robot4Care project aims to develop software for the mobile and social robot James, allowing it to navigate and interact in the Heart lounge department of the Catharina hospital. At the time, James was capable of driving along objects such as carts, beds, people, and the hospital corridor. However, wandering about was deemed insufficient for its role as a social robot in the Heart lounge. The project team strived to make James sentient and user-friendly by implementing a sophisticated behavior tree. This behavior tree empowered the robot to make decisions and carry out tasks based on a set of predefined behaviors or actions. Tasks within the behavior tree included driving to patients, asking them questions, providing information and comfort, handling emergencies, and driving to and from its charging station. Additionally, the project aimed to enable nurses to modify James' behavior without the need for programming.
Context
The Catharina hospital in Eindhoven operates the Heart Lounge, a facility where patients receive treatment and recover under nursing supervision. The lounge aims to create a comfortable and homely atmosphere, providing amenities like food, drinks, comfortable seating, and reading materials for patients. Patients often require information about their treatment and seek interaction with nurses. However, the nursing staff faces various challenges, including the increasing complexity of healthcare needs, the demand for electronic documentation, and the integration of new technologies. To alleviate the workload on nurses, the Catharina hospital has undertaken a project to introduce a mobile social robot to the Heart Lounge. The goal is to develop a robot capable of navigating the lounge and interacting with patients. By deploying the robot, the hospital aims to reduce the burden on nurses and enhance patient experience. The robot will be designed to perform tasks such as providing information, assisting with basic needs, and offering companionship to patients. The project aims to create a user-friendly and adaptable robot that can autonomously carry out its assigned tasks. This initiative is part of the hospital's ongoing efforts to leverage technology and innovation to improve patient care and optimize nursing resources in a challenging healthcare environment.
Results
The current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the Robot4Care project is level 5. This level means that the technology is validated in a relevant enviornment. The previous group designed the infrastructure for the robot. A behaviour tree decides on the tasks/behaviours of the James robot and receives/forwards commands from the James Operating System. The James Operating System decides on the control logic of the James robot. Furthermore, a dashboard has been developed, which interconnects with the behaviour tree and gives the nurses at the hospital more control over the James robot. The behaviour tree, James Operating System, and the dashboard have been improved during our semester. This allows future project groups to better extend the tasks and skills of the James robot. It furthermore allows for the better functioning of the James robot in a hospital environment and to ultimately decrease the burden on nurses.