The EI robot consortium received a Stimulus grant of € 1.200.000 (€423.775,- for LUMC; dr. Hanneke Smaling) to develop an Emotion Intelligent Care Robot in collaboration with Mentech Innovation, SARA Robotics and care organizations Ipse de Bruggen and Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen.
The Emotion Intelligent Care Robot project seeks to develop an autonomous robot to assist people with dementia and people with intellectual disabilities, who often exhibit challenging behavior due to stress. The robot, developed by Mentech and Sara Robotics, uses a smart sensor platform to detect and respond to stress, allowing for more personalized care and potentially reducing the workload of healthcare workers. It will be tested at two healthcare institutions with the goal of integrating it into the care process. The project emphasizes that care remains a human endeavor, with the robot serving as a tool rather than a replacement for healthcare workers. The LUMC will collect user-requirements for the robot, and examine the effects of the robot on all involved.
Many people with dementia and people an intellectual disability exhibit challenging behaviors such as loss of control, self-harm or apathy. Stress is an important cause, but clients are not always able to express this well. In addition, the demand for care is increasing due the aging population. With the Emotion Intelligent Care Robot, stress in clients can be anticipated earlier and better. The use of an autonomous care robot leads to more person-oriented care, which can prevent complex situations and reduce the workload of care employees. In view of labor shortages, an aging population and more complex healthcare, digitalization and technology are important steps in healthcare transition.
The Emotion Intelligent Care Robot project is financed by the European Union, the government of the Netherlands, the Province Noord-Brabant and OPZuid.