'HBO meets MBO' about robotica in healthcare
14-11-2023
In order to support teachers at MBO College West - ROC of Amsterdam (Care & Welfare course) in their professionalisation, two colleagues from the Digital Life research group (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Faculty DMCI) provided a workshop on the deployment of robots in healthcare in early November. This session was part of a study day for teachers at the ROC. Marianne Bossema and Lamia Elloumi, both working as lecturer-researchers at Digital Life, presented an overview of different types of robots in healthcare, ranging from surgical robots to social robots.
Knowledge transfer
Then two robots were introduced: the NAO and Alpha Mini, both humanoid robots with a body shape similar to that of a human. Marianne and Lamia used a live demo to show how to visually programme these robots and how interactive scenarios can be created.
Getting started with robots for healthcare
Following this, participants split into smaller groups to brainstorm how to use these social robots in a healthcare context of their choice. Each group worked out various scenarios in which the Alpha Minis could also be tried out. It was notable that there was some discussion about the ethical implications of robots in healthcare, for example for people with dementia.
Uniting forces
The MBO Care & Welfare course offers valuable perspectives on the future of robotics in healthcare, Further collaboration with Digital Life can be of great value in further developing the technology.