PersonA-PP – Personal assistance for patients in care
Project Management:
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dagmar Meyer
Project Duration: 01.09.2018 - 31.08.2021
Collaboration Partners:
- ITK GmbH, Braunschweig und Stephansstift Pflege und Seniorenwohnen gGmbH
Federeal States Funding:
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Funding Amount: 310.764 €
Faculty: Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Research Areas:
- Research on Societal Participation and Health Services Research
Summary:
The number of people in need of care in Germany rose from 2 to 2.9 million between 1999 and 2015. It is forecast that by the year 2060, this number will have risen to 4.8 million, corresponding to 7% of the overall population. A disproportionately large rise in the percentage of people in care was recorded for the 80+ age group. The challenge is thus to ensure the continued availability of an appropriate level of care for this age group in the future. It was in this context that the future demand for technical aids in the home was discussed in the ‘Seventh report on the situation of the older generation in the Federal Republic of Germany’. This forms the basis of the project, which can be illustrated by the following scenario: a mobile robot is standing ready in a care environment (care home, sheltered housing, senior residential estate, etc.) in which one or more persons are in need of care, to serve as their personal assistant. Using an intelligent wristwatch, a person recognised by the robot is able to instruct it to perform a certain service (e.g. to fetch and present a drink or object, or to pick up a fallen object). This means that the patient is no longer reliant on a care person for every necessary action. The system is also fitted with sensors that enable it to recognise emergency situations and automatically notify care personnel or an emergency service and immediately supply vital patient data. Another innovative approach involves so-called collaborative robots (or cobots). It is possible to develop an economically attractive system by using a robot designed for industrial use in such applications. The robot arm is mounted on an autonomously directing, mobile platform, along with a battery storage unit, control computer and electronic drive. A mobile terminal device is being developed in cooperation with the industrial partner, in the form of a digital wristwatch (wearable), as an innovative and handicapped-accessible medium for man-machine interaction. By cooperating closely with a welfare association that operates numerous residential and care facilities, a requirements and practice-based approach is assured.
