15 Mar SAFE-LY – Pharaon Second Open Call winner

Project Partners: PAL Robotics (PAL), Badalona Assistance Services (BSA)

Country: Spain

Assistive robots can potentially perform many of the complex tasks required for beneficial applications from health and social care, both in supporting medical staff and patients in hospitals and care homes. However, the adoption of robots in these applications remains relatively restricted. According to the consortium’s experience in the sector, serving both as a technology provider and adopter, a primary reason for this limitation is that the functionalities of the robots do not align effectively with the practical daily routines of the users. To overcome those limitations, we propose a novel approach based on in-context needs collection that can be translated to requirements for further refinement of the initial system already existing and verified in operational environments.

The project presented herein introduces an innovative assistive robot based on the mobile manipulator TIAGo developed by PAL Robotics, to enhance patient safety by proactively identifying and mitigating hazardous and dangerous situations, such as fall detection or misplaced elements in the space. According to the medical staff, a delayed response to these situations substantially hinders the recovery process for older patients.

The robot is equipped with advanced capabilities in perception, navigation and human-robot interaction, tailored to detect and alert hazardous situations for patients in hospitals and care homes. This innovative solution not only complements existing safety protocols but also offers an extra layer of proactive monitoring, significantly reducing response times in critical scenarios.