Category
RESEARCH
BY DESIGN
Context- & action-research using delivery robots to examine their impact on elderly loneliness and reducing healthcare staff shortages, focusing on autonomy and workload relief.
Concept
Date
OCT 2023
- APRIL 2024
Client
In collaboration with
This project was initiated in response to the growing elderly population in the Netherlands and the increasing pressure on healthcare services.
As more elderly individuals are expected to live independently while facing mobility challenges, their access to essential services and social interactions is limited.
Additionally, a declining availability of volunteers and privacy concerns around monitoring technologies further complicate elderly care. By exploring the potential of social and delivery robots, the project aimed to address loneliness and autonomy in elderly care while also offering a potential solution to ease the burden on healthcare staff.
Summary
Robot impact & Social factors
Through journey mapping, stakeholder analysis, observations, and interviews, specific pain points were identified that presented opportunities for testing a similar task using a delivery robot, both indoors and outdoors (process shown underneath).
A use case involving the delivery of catheters to elderly residents in assisted living was explored, with careful consideration of the impact on and social value provided by care personnel (shown on the left).
Process
From pain points to action research
Publications
1. DMI Ecosysteem (2023). In Bezorgrobots in de ouderenzorg, kansrijk?. https://dmi-ecosysteem.nl/wp-content/uploads/bb_documents/2023/11/231123-Bezorgrobot-in-de-ouderenzorg-kansrijk_def-compressed1.pdf
2. DMI Ecosysteem (2024). Bezorgrobots ontlasten zorgverleners. https://dmi-ecosysteem.nl/blog/bezorgrobot-kan-zorgverleners-ontlasten/