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Robonurse to the rescue
Last updated at 23:52pm on 12.02.07It's definitely more Doctor Who than Doctor Kildare. This is the robot nurse which, it is claimed, could become a familiar sight on Health Service wards.
Although it lacks a certain human touch, scientists working on the 'nursebot' hope it will be able to clean and tidy, and even attend to patients.
They believe it could be able to monitor patients' temperatures using lasers or thermal imaging cameras.
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The robots are being developed to give a helping hand to busy ward staff.
With face and voice recognition technology, a robot should be able to communicate with patients and spot unauthorised visitors.
It is hoped the machines will ease pressure by taking over mundane tasks such as mopping up spills so nurses can spend more time with their patients.
By keeping wards clean, they could also cut infections by superbugs such as MRSA.
This first picture of how the 'nursebot' could look is based on a robot developed in Spain to help the elderly in their homes.
Teams from the universities of Warwick, Cardiff, Newcastle and Dublin are working with colleagues in Germany on the 'IWARD' project.
They hope to have a three-robot prototype system ready by 2010. Working in 'swarms' which communicate with each other, each robot will carry sensors and equipment for different jobs and assign themselves to relevant tasks.
They will also be able to take messages and guide visitors.
Sensors and cameras would let them avoid collisions while travelling along high-speed lanes in the hospital corridors.
Dr Robert Bicker of Newcastle University said there was no intention to replace staff but added: 'If it were possible to manage a robot to routinely clean wards, walls and windows in the hospital, that would serve a very useful purpose.
'If the robot had a thermal imaging camera it could observe the patient to see if they are too hot or cold, maybe during the night when there's only limited nursing staff available.'
Project leader Thomas Schlegel, from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, said: 'The idea is not only to have mobile robots but also a full system of integrated information terminals so the hospital is full of interaction and intelligence.'
Reader views (1)
Having observed the comi-tragedy of a 74 year old Englishman presenting with speech difficulties, "interacting" with an English-speaking nurse with pronunciation anomalies, I believe an RP-programmed nursebot might be just the thing! Seriously though - it is turning into Alice in Wonderland is it not? I can just imagine Alice meeting with a nursebot. Oh joy!
- Barrie Singleton, Newbury UK
