Over the last year Heemskerk Innovative Technology (HIT), together with PAL Robotics, developed SANDRo (Semi-Autonomous Day & Night Robot), an innovative robot that supports care professionals and provides assistive services to patients. The project was funded by DIH Hero. Heemskerk Innovative Technology performed a week-long trial with robot ROSE at Broca Living Lab, in Paris, France from 28 May to 1 April 2022. The trials were focused on human-robot interaction and the evaluation of acceptance of the robot by patients and care personnel. Current and former patients of the Broca Hospital, visitors and care professionals had the chance to meet ROSE and participate in interactive sessions, where they experienced the autonomous and teleoperation skills of ROSE and unfolded their ideas and opinions on its use in hospitals and healthcare.

ROSE is a multi-purpose, semi-autonomous, service robot which aims to support care professionals and provide clients with improved autonomy and sustainable high-quality services. ROSE patrols the hospital wards detecting unusual activity, checks the well-being of patients, responds to requests and transports objects & medical equipment. ROSE communicates with people, activates and entertains them as well as physically supports them by taking on tasks that they are not able to perform themselves. The modular and extendable architecture enables ROSE’s functionalities to easily be adapted to the user’s needs. The hardware platform of ROSE, is TIAGo, the dexterous and versatile robot by our partners PAL Robotics.

In the next months we aim to add more functionality on ROSE and organize long-stays and deployment campaigns in care organizations in the Netherlands and other countries.