Assistance robot for patient transport

NSK has already participated in the development of several service robots for medical facilities. In a current project, the company is collaborating in a Japanese government initiative that will accelerate the use of robot technology in hospitals. Specifically, it has developed a motorized assistance robot for patient transport - in dialogue with nursing staff.  

A current trend in robotics is to develop service and assistance robots that do not operate in industry, but rather support humans and are designed to help solve societal problems. As part of this effort, NSK is focusing on applications in hospitals and other medical facilities, for example, where many people are on the move. The smooth movements and quiet operation of NSK drive components are ideal for robotic applications in this field of use.

Originally, one of NSK's goals was to develop an autonomous mobile robot for patient transport. However, after the developers analyzed everyday hospital life with narrow corridors and high numbers of visitors, it seemed more sensible to design a motorized assistance robot that would support staff during patient transfers with wheelchairs or couches, thus reducing their physical strain.

The assistance robot developed by NSK has an electric motor drive that enables smooth starting and acceleration, as well as equally smooth braking and tight turns. During the design phase, the developers worked closely with the robot's potential users and verified their ideas in practice within short cycles. In other words, they did not develop an initial prototype of the entire robot over a period of about three years, but instead gathered feedback from hospital or nursing users every three months and gradually implemented their suggestions for improvement during the development process.

As part of the Japanese government's initiative, NSK is currently demonstrating and testing the use of the motorized assistance robot in a large hospital. The goal is for the robot to be in daily use in medical facilities.