Hospice care and warehouse cleaning – robots developed by NTIS experts will be able to do it all - INFO

Hospice care and warehouse cleaning – robots developed by NTIS experts will be able to do it all

Understanding voice instructions, manipulating objects, or communicating with people. That's all robots will be able to do. They are being developed by experts from the NTIS Research Centre at the FAV. The robots will help with the production of gear and assist hospice patients or clean warehouses.

Practical demonstrations in three areas of human activity will be the result of international cooperation between more than ten institutions from the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, and Spain, which are involved in the European Tornado project. Experts from the NTIS research center at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FAV UWB) are working on the development of robots for cleaning warehouses used to distribute food to smaller shops. The robots will help clean up waste, such as packaging or plastic film, that is produced when unpacking goods.

"The robots can do the so-called rough cleaning before the mopping machines arrive. Thanks to their ability to understand human instructions, they can coordinate their activities efficiently and contribute to maintaining order in the warehouse. This system will streamline cleaning processes and save time and human labor costs," said Tomáš Čechura from the NTIS research center. He and other colleagues are responsible for the hardware and software part of the robot, while other partners specialize in navigation technology.
Experts in the Netherlands aim to help operators wrap the gears in protective packaging. The robots should be able to manipulate individual gears and perform repetitive tasks efficiently. Such technological advances can make the production process more efficient and save time spent on routine operations.

Furthermore, robots will also find applications in the healthcare sector. An Italian hospice will test robots to assist nurses. The robots will perform tasks that are not time-critical. These include finding out a patient's needs, checking the status of IVs, or just keeping them company during long moments alone. "Using language models, the robots can communicate and respond to patient or staff requests. This innovation should improve patient comfort and make the work of medical staff easier, who can focus more on more complex tasks," added Tomas Čechura.

The project shows the future direction of robot development. It uses concrete examples to demonstrate how robotics can transform industry, healthcare, and logistics, bringing new possibilities for automating tasks previously considered too complex for machines.

The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 101189557.