Robotics in nursing care relieves the burden on health professionals in North Rhine-Westphalia
Expertise from North Rhine-Westphalia
Demographic change is posing increasingly significant challenges for care facilities. The number of people requiring care is rising, while at the same time there is a shortage of skilled workers. In this context, the use of robotics in care is becoming increasingly important. Robotics in care can take on physically supportive tasks such as lifting patients or distributing medication, but can also fulfil social functions, for example through communication, reminding patients of daily routines or providing simple entertainment. In doing so, they do not replace human care, but rather relieve the burden on nursing staff and allow more time for interpersonal care. The targeted use of robotic assistance systems thus opens up new perspectives for human-centred and, at the same time, technologically supported care in the future.
We spoke to three experts for the Robotics Technology Hub to explore the opportunities and challenges of using robotics in care. Jakob Biesterfeldt is Chief Commercial Officer and member of the Management Board at navel robotics. He has over 20 years of experience in business development, commercialisation and leadership in B2B product development and innovation consulting. Stephan Graue is the managing director of Evangelischen Pflege Diakonie Vohwinkel. As a certified nurse, scientist and manager, he has been committed to the profession for many years and is responsible for digital transformation processes within his organisation. Prof. Dr. Alexander König is an engineer, scientist, entrepreneur and professor of robotics at the Technical University of Munich. In 2015, Professor König founded the company Reactive Robotics. The start-up develops and markets robotic systems for intensive care units. He and his team at the Technical University of Munich are involved in the Geriatronik project, which aims to counteract the problems of demographic change and the shortage of nursing staff with the help of robotics.
What excites you about robotics in nursing?
Jakob Biesterfeldt: Nursing is facing a huge challenge. More and more people need care, but fewer and fewer people are providing it. The resulting gap must be filled, and this social mission inspires and drives us. What’s more, thanks to the more than 50 robots already in use in nursing facilities, we can see that Navel is making a difference. People are cognitively and emotionally stimulated and feel better. The burden on nursing staff is reduced.
Stephan Graue: Robots can relieve the burden on nursing staff by taking on monotonous or physically demanding tasks, such as lifting, transporting or distributing medication. This creates more space for human attention, which should be at the centre of the work.
Prof. Dr. Alexander König: I believe we are seeing that artificial intelligence can have a tremendous impact on our world. And robotics enables us to bring this artificial intelligence to life. This is known as embodied artificial intelligence. AI is a great first step, but to also enable physical relief, we need robotics, and that excites me. When robotics takes care of the physical work, the caregiver can take care of the person. My prediction is that robotics will make care a bit more human again if it is designed correctly, which may seem counterintuitive at first glance.
What robotics applications do you develop, research or use in your organisation?
Jakob Biesterfeldt: Navel is a social robot. Navel provides social interaction for people who would otherwise feel lonely. Navel activates people emotionally and cognitively. Our focus is on social interaction. Physical abilities are only relevant for Navel if they support social interaction. Navel can communicate verbally and non-verbally and has an empathetic effect on people.
Stephan Graue: We are currently observing the market very closely and are in contact with partners from research and industry. We are particularly interested in assistance robots for mobility support and social interaction, for example to activate people with dementia.
Prof. Dr. Alexander König: For technology to reach people, especially robotic technology, very, very long development cycles are necessary. We are at the beginning of this development cycle. We are working in particular on service robotics that can perform specific physical tasks. One major topic is what is known as tactile manipulation. This means that in the future, robots will be able to grasp, carry, transport objects and so on, similar to humans. The whole thing is then embedded in a context in which we are researching service robotics. The aim is to enable older people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Let’s imagine that someone already has a care level. They receive several visits a day, and now the situation is deteriorating. Now the person may need to go into a care home. However, if technology can support them with everyday tasks in their home, or if this technology can also bring them a glass of water, pick up an object from the floor, help them get up, remind them to take their medication, and perhaps even encourage them to do a little cognitive and physical training, then it will be possible for them to continue living largely independently at home. That is the goal we are researching. In other words, service robotics in a domestic setting or in a care facility setting.
How can robotics be used effectively in care?
Jakob Biesterfeldt: Social robots complement human staff in activating and providing social care for those in need of care. They can take some of the strain off nursing staff.
Stephan Graue: It makes sense to use robots where they can take on repetitive tasks – e.g. serving meals, disinfecting rooms or as digital companions to promote cognitive abilities. It is always important that residents and employees accept them.
Prof. Dr. Alexander König: Their use is relatively limited to things such as those enabled by Navel Robotics, i.e. interaction or communication. It will take a few more years before robotics can be used effectively in nursing homes in such a way that physical relief is also provided and collection and delivery services are possible. At present, their effective use is limited to the areas of application mentioned above. However, a lot will happen in the next five years. What care facilities can do now is to keep their eyes and minds open, be receptive to the idea and say, let’s just give it a try. There are many approaches and, in the meantime, more and more start-ups that provide robotic technologies or isolated solutions in this area. In concrete terms, however, it will still take a few years.
What risks need to be considered when using robots in care facilities?
Jakob Biesterfeldt:Ethical questions arise that need to be clarified openly and transparently. Data protection, privacy and the responsible use of AI are further issues, but these have never been obstacles to the use of Navel.
Stephan Graue: In addition to data protection and ethical issues, we see the danger that technology will replace human contact rather than complement it. That is why we would focus on concepts in which technology serves people – not the other way around.
Prof. Dr. Alexander König: Robots are moving bodies that have mass. They must be safe at all times, which means that from a technological point of view, we must of course ensure the physical safety of everyone involved. The second aspect is, of course, data protection. I think that’s also clear. Nobody wants their own care history to become public through a hack. This means that we have to ensure data security here. The third aspect is emotional safety. Imagine someone is in a facility where people with dementia interact with social robotics. We have a responsibility for the emotional health of these people.
At the same time, the care facility itself must, of course, ensure that its staff are properly trained to deal with robotics. However, I see this as more of a responsibility for the manufacturers. It will be a mutual approach. In future, Caritas will also incorporate technology into its training, just as it does with the actual care processes. This means that care facilities will be obliged to offer technology as a subject in their teaching or further training programmes. However, safety on the technological side must come from the companies developing the technology.
How will care robots affect the labour market?
Jakob Biesterfeldt: Social robots are not intended to replace humans, but to complement them, fill gaps and relieve the burden. Ideally, working conditions for care professionals and the well-being of those in need of care will improve equally. Facilities and providers that use robotics in care are considered progressive and may find it easier to recruit new staff.
Stephan Graue: They will not replace care workers, but will create new roles – for example, in technical support or training. At the same time, they can help to address the shortage of skilled workers by relieving care workers of routine tasks.
Prof. Dr. Alexander König: We are already seeing that carers are being treated like gold. At the same time, an ever-increasing number of people in need of care are coming our way. In this respect, my vision is basically that robots will take over physical work on the one hand, as well as documentation work, so that carers can focus on looking after people again. Of course, robots will also be able to cover social aspects. We form emotional attachments to objects. That’s why I believe that robots can also take on some emotional aspects. But no one wants to replace human warmth. That’s important. The human touch, human closeness, must be preserved. However, we can use technology to give the mostly overworked nursing staff a little breathing space so that they can take care of precisely these aspects. Looking ahead, I would say that robotics will gradually improve over the next 15 years so that it can take on more and more tasks. It will be a long time before a robot can put on support stockings or change a bandage. In this respect, I believe that initial robots will perform documentation and fetch and carry services and then gradually be able to take on more and more actual nursing tasks with the aim of freeing up more and more time for human contact and interaction.
What new skills do healthcare professionals need to use robotics?
Jakob Biesterfeldt: Not many. The aim is for robots to learn how to provide optimal support to healthcare professionals without them having to master a steep learning curve in working with robots. We are developing our robot so that it learns to adapt to people’s needs and working methods (and not the other way around, as is often the case with technology).
Stephan Graue: In addition to a basic technical understanding, what is needed above all is openness to new ways of working, interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to integrate technology empathetically into everyday care.
Prof. Dr. Alexander König: To my knowledge, the average nurse in an intensive care unit already has to be able to operate over 100 technical devices. I could imagine that the technological competence to interact with robots will be required in the future. At the same time, we are seeing that technology is becoming increasingly user-friendly and that programming technology, for example, requires fewer and fewer technical skills. In this respect, basic training in technology will be necessary. However, this will be specifically tailored to the individual robot. In the Geriatronics project, we are researching this issue by working locally with Caritas and repeatedly testing the real world with focus groups. Not only how the robot reacts in a care environment, but also how people react to it. How an elderly person reacts to technology, how a caregiver reacts to technology, and so on. I believe that this user-centred design, which has long been used in the automotive sector, will play a very central role here. It will mean an expansion of training. But I don’t think a carer needs an engineering degree. That is again the task of the technologists, to design it in such a way that it becomes usable.
Further information on this topic
ATLAS features further articles and science digests on robotics in care. Read, for example, how nurses’ attitudes toward robotics are critical for its adoption.
Also check out the other technology hubs on more exciting topics.
