Robot assists Swiss clinic staff with transport tasks

An assistance robot named Lio is helping staff with routine transport tasks at the Zihlschlacht rehabilitation clinic in the canton of Thurgau, SRF reports.

The clinic is one of Switzerland’s largest neurological facilities and operates Europe’s largest robotics centre using robot-assisted training equipment. Lio arrived there seven years ago and now moves independently through the corridors.

With a grabber resembling a grey beak and a transport box on its back, Lio delivers newspapers, bread, flowers and blood samples. It uses a digital map to navigate and a camera to detect obstacles. The robot can also introduce itself to visitors and tell jokes. During the coronavirus pandemic, it helped with hygiene measures by disinfecting door handles at night.

Since 2018, Lio has been used in various care homes and clinics. Around 20 such robots are currently operating in Switzerland, according to Alina Gasser of the Swiss manufacturer F&P Robotics. She said residents often wait outside for the robot and compare it to a pet.

Gjuli Amiti, a nursing ward manager, said feedback from care staff had been positive. Lio and its counterpart Lia were particularly helpful during busy mornings, she said.

However, Amiti does not expect robots to help patients dress or shower. “Empathy and sensitivity are missing,” she said. One patient also rejected the idea, saying that personal contact would be lacking.

Gasser said robots were unlikely to replace care workers soon. The aim, she said, was to organise routine tasks so that staff had more time for patient care. Aleksander Pelikan, who oversees the robots at the clinic, said robot-assisted personal care might become an issue in five or 10 years, but that this had not yet been the focus in Switzerland.

An upcoming update is intended to allow Lio and Lia to hold proper conversations using artificial intelligence. Their use is subject to restrictions: because of the fire risk posed by their batteries, Lio may not share a lift with patients. Data protection rules also prohibit the robot from recording sound or images.