HospiBot started into its final project year with the fifth partner meeting on September 25th at Odense University Hospital (OUH). It was the perfect time to look back at recent events, celebrate key milestones, share relevant insights, and set the stage for a strong finish!
Sharing Memories in a Project Recap
The day began with a recap from project leader Prof. Dr. Oskar Palinko from University Southern Denmark (SDU) who highlighted some recent events. The team has been busy attending the International Congress on Social Robotics (ICSR) in Naples, the HospiBot Days at the Fraunhofer IMTE and the Fehmarnbelt Days, both happening in Luebeck (Germany), as well as the Reasearchers Day at University Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense (Denmark). Humanoid robot HuGo even made it onto German television, and the European Commission has featured our project on their website! Best of all, we’ve seen so many happy faces as people created their own unique stories with HuGo. For a glimpse of the last project period, check out our impressions or visit HospiBot on LinkedIn.
Updates on the Healthcare Robots
Student Tabea Sudermann and PhD candidate Pol Barrera Vals from SDU presented the latest features for HuGo. They’ve implemented new eye expressions, so HuGo can convey emotions like joy, anger, and surprise. The team is training the robot to correctly connect these expressions with its speech. They are also working on detecting mouth movements, which will allow HuGo to recognize who is speaking in a group conversation.
Dr. Robert Wendlandt and PhD candidate Chandrahas Kasoju from the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) in Lübeck showed off robot Tele, which is designed for night patrols. Thanks to impressive recent developments, Tele is now equipped with sensors and radars that allow it to detect people’s positions and if they’re breathing. If an emergency is detected, the robot sends a notification. Future developments will include integrating lights, speakers, microphones, and a camera to enable video conferences with hospital staff.
Both robots will be carried by a mobile base developed at SDU by Prof. Leon Bodenhagen and his team. The base can already drive around, and the team is now working on its “behavior trees” to ensure it responds correctly in every situation. All modules – HuGo, Tele, and the mobile base – will be tested in real hospital settings this year.
Inspiring robotic environment at Odense University Hospital
After lunch, the HospiBot team went on a facility tour at OUH. Esben Hansen and Angelina Stoyanova Wolf presented a few of the hospital’s more than 20 (!) planned and active robotic projects. For example, robots at OUH transport parcels for non-stationary patients to be picked up autonomously. Other robots collect and move blood samples. Some of these robots drive more than 1,000 kilometers each year, saving hospital staff a huge amount of time and energy.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by research assistant Miriam Pfau from Kiel University of Applied Sciences. She updated everyone on the test results from the Furhat robot, which is used for research on human-robot interaction. Finally, Sabine Paasch Olsen wrapped up the meeting with organizational notes on the upcoming testing phase.
About the author
Wiebke Behrens-Focken
Hi! Im part of HospiBot’s external communications team. My aim is to make the complex work behind our research project understandable and accessible to a broader audience. That way I can raise awareness of intelligent technologies like robots, foster trust in their use, and encourage public dialogue about their role in healthcare and society.