Robotics as an opportunity for nursing We are getting older and older, but at the same time there is a shortage of carers. How robots and AI applications could solve the dilemma.
Ameca, the new colleague, smiles, jokes, talks and, above all, helps wherever she can on the nursing station: Repositioning patients, lifting them out of wheelchairs or accompanying them to the bathroom. Especially now, when the number of old and sick people is particularly high and there is a shortage of nursing staff, she is a great help. Furthermore, she never gets tired or weak, is always motivated, and she - or he, or it? - doesn't have to sleep either. Because Ameca is a robot.
What may sound like dreams of the future could actually be the order of the day in nursing homes and hospitals in the coming years - robots as nursing assistants.
Ameca itself is at least not a vision of the future; it really exists. The humanoid robot is used at OFFIS in the Research Division Health - and fascinates with its human-like facial expressions. It can realistically imitate not only gestures but also facial expressions. An implemented AI also makes it possible to hold real conversations with Ameca.
Robotics and AI as supporting factors in care
In collaboration with the University of Oldenburg, OFFIS has been working for many years on how robotics and AI applications can be used in nursing to support caregivers.
Today, there is a shortage of around 200,000 nursing staff in Germany - and the trend is rising. By 2035, there will be a shortage of almost half a million skilled nursing staff, estimates the Institute for the German Economy. At the same time, the number of people in need of care continues to rise.
AI applications and robotics cannot solve the problem of the shortage of skilled workers. But they can relieve the burden on nursing staff, create added value. Far too often, caregivers have to take on tasks that have nothing to do with actual care. For documentation alone, nurses need up to 50 percent of their working time.
An AI-supported voice-controlled documentation can save a significant amount of time here. Other areas of application for AI to support care include prevention systems to prevent falls, intelligent rollators and nursing beds, and also exoskeletons. This reduces the workload of nursing staff, giving them more time for direct contact and interaction with patients.
Mechanical support is particularly needed for strenuous tasks such as repositioning. Normally, two people are needed for a single patient transfer. With the increasing shortage of personnel, however, this will become more and more difficult to realize.
The OFFIS researchers have therefore initially developed robotic arms that can assist with repositioning. The problem: Both patients and nursing staff had difficulty interacting with the robotic arms. There was never the impression that a second caregiver was actually assisting.
That's why Ameca, a humanized version of the robot, took over. The scientists now want to observe how Ameca can be used. Can patients and caregivers interact well with the robot? What risks will arise? How does the robot react to gestures and speech in the work environment?
In the medium term, the robot should not only be able to transfer patients, but also to perform light tasks without the presence of another nursing staff member, such as passing food or a glass of water. Every task, no matter how small, that a robot can take on will relieve staff and give patients a bit more autonomy. With intelligent assistance technologies, people in need of care can live more independently because they don't have to call a nurse every time they want a drink, for example.
Increasingly incorporate AI and robotics into the training of nurses and doctors
The use of AI and robotics in the training of nurses and doctors should also be increased and improved. For example, there is already a delirium training course with a robot patient. VR training courses are also to be increasingly implemented.
In order to further intensively investigate the interaction and practical suitability of robotics, a laboratory environment is to be created within the framework of the PIZ (Nursing Innovation Center) at OFFIS, in which technologies suitable for various nursing settings and the interaction with them can be tested and optimized. The central question here is also: How can robotic solutions be designed to have added value for care?
OFFIS places great emphasis on interdisciplinary work in all of its projects in the Health Division. Computer scientists work side by side with social scientists and ethicists - a benefit for the entire team. Because it is clear that not only technical issues need to be clarified, but also legal, social and ethical questions.
The most important thing is to actively involve patients and caregivers and to extensively test the AI applications and robotics solutions - something OFFIS attaches great importance to. How do the patients react to the robots? How does the cooperation work? Is there skepticism, fears? All of this must be taken seriously.
Will robots replace nurses in the future? No - and they shouldn't. They are nursing assistants who strengthen the autonomy of patients. And perhaps the reduction in workload will also make the nursing profession more attractive again.
Notice: Ameca was designed and built by Engineered Arts Ltd
Further information on the OFFIS Health department can be found at:
