'Caring' robot in trials at Costa Blanca nursing home

‘Caring’ robot in trials at Costa Blanca nursing home.
ELDERLY residents at Vitasol5 nursing home in Alicante have welcomed a new addition in the form of Sanbot the ‘caring and entertaining’ robot.
The centre is taking part in a pilot program aimed at introducing technology and innovation into everyday nursing care.
As well as dancing to music and generally lifting spirits, Sanbot also reminds residents when to take medication, advises them on how to ensure they are maintaining a healthy diet and reportedly encourages general wellbeing.
Sanbot is a humanoid robot created by Alicante firm Bumerania Robotics, and is part of a Europe-wide pilot project in nursing homes using the latest Artificial Intelligence technology.
It has integrated security, health, care, communications, connectivity and entertainment functions, among others, and is designed to be implemented in elderly residences, hospitals, schools, hotels and shops.
“We are excited to welcome Sanbot the robot as part of a pilot project in our centre introducing technology, innovation and development in serving Vistasol5 residents,” said management at the home which recently welcomed Director General of Innovation of Valencian Generalitat, Sonia Tirado, and CEO of Bumerania, Isidro Fernández.
During the visit, Tirado explained that “the main objective of technology should be to improve the quality of life of people and, specifically, in the field of the elderly care, although they cannot cover all needs or replace personal contact, they are devices that can help to improve the quality of life and well-being of this group of people.”
It’s hoped the new Sanbot platform “will unleash the power of cloud-enabled robotics and AI for retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, security and many other customer-oriented industries to deliver smarter, more personalised services”.
“Sanbot is an excellent addition to a workforce and can help increase efficiency and offer cost-savings in a way that complements human workers. For example, in a healthcare setting, Sanbot can be a friendly, reassuring presence available at any hour of the day”, said its UK distributor.
“Sanbot’s head can sense human beings, read gestures and facial expressions, and respond to complex voice commands,” they added