Scientists from the Białystok University of Technology have developed a robot to support patients and medical staff. Bobot 2.0 can communicate, provide entertainment and also perform minor diagnostic tests.

“I really like helping patients”, “Nurses are very nice” – such sentences can be heard in the hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Białystok, where Bobot 2.0 is being tested. A mobile robot, however, can not only communicate but also support the work of medical personnel. It provides entertainment but also performs minor diagnostic tests.

Dr Mirosław Kondratiuk, coordinator of the Bobot 2.0 module in the “PROTECT MED” project called his design Bobot 2.0. “It is a remotely controlled robot with multimedia equipment, thermal imaging camera and apparatus enabling remote image and sound transmission. Thanks to this, the nurse and doctors will be able to interview the patient, as well as do simple diagnostic tests, such as pulse measurement or taking a thermographic image”, says Kondratiuk.

The robot was given human characteristics. They can be seen both in appearance and in the simple expression of emotions through the funny emoticons, as well as the synthesis of speech. Bobot 2.0 will speak everything that is programmed for. He speaks different languages and the possibilities for its personalization are huge.

During the rehearsals at the department, the Intelligent Robot greeted the audience politely and quickly gathered a large crowd of interested people around. Its streamlined form, sunny color and friendly interface won the sympathy of nurses and patients who reacted very positively to the electronic aid. The device moved around hospital rooms, and a thermal imaging camera allowed for its connection with patients. Initially, the nurses were concerned about controlling the device on their own, but soon they took over the control panel to check in practice how the robot performs basic diagnostic tests.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński