In the EU-funded Interreg 6A project HospiBot, partners from Germany and Denmark are working together to explore the potential of assistive robots in healthcare. The consortium includes robotics experts, clinics, and the Fraunhofer Institute, all collaborating to identify how robots could support tasks in hospital environments.
Use cases range from material transport and localization, communication and wayfinding for patients and visitors, to monitoring and security functions – all of which may require different robotic solutions. These solutions must meet practical demands, including the ability to handle stairs or non-automated doors. For reliable navigation and interpretation of complex environments, robots may rely on sensors or cameras – a challenge in Germany due to strict data protection regulations.
From a technical perspective, the project investigates how versatile a single robotic system can and should be. Economically, it considers whether it makes sense to deploy multiple specialized robots or invest in modular systems. The latter is particularly promising – as demonstrated by the predecessor project HandiRob, which developed a system with separate mobile and functional units.
Many of these approaches and concepts will be presented at this year’s International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR), taking place in Odense, Denmark.
The HospiBot team is working on its prototypes through 2026. With the support of Fraunhofer IMTE, the project is also addressing regulatory requirements for approving such assistive robots as medical devices.
Project partners include the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense, the University of Lübeck, Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Fraunhofer IMTE in Lübeck, the Region of Southern Denmark with Hospital Sønderjylland, All Good Speakers, Zealand University Hospital, and the Center for Clinical Robotics in Odense.
Associated network partners: Blue Ocean Robotics, UXMA, BG Klinikum Hamburg, Assono Kiel, Giobotics, and Essential Robotics.
Total funding: €1.68 million
Project lead: Associate Professor Oskar Palinko, SDU Odense
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3U2SFlh
Contact at Kiel University of Applied Sciences:
Prof. Dr. Franziska Uhing
About the author
Dr. Prof. Franziska Uhing
As a professor for interactive media I investigate how people interact with technology and how that interaction can be improved through thoughtful design. There is a lot of research potential in communication between human and robots. In the HospiBot project we gain insights about the user interface design that makes communicating with robots feel intuitive and pleasant.