RE2, Inc., a developer of robotic manipulator arms, has announced that the company is collaborating with the University of Texas Arlington (UTA) to design an Adaptive Robotic Nurse Assistant for the National Science Foundation (NSF).
With nearly 3 million registered nurses employed in the United States, RNs make up the largest pool of healthcare providers in the country. The goal of this robotic nursing assistant project is to provide RNs with assistive robots to support their activities within a hospital setting.
Dan Popa, an associate professor of electrical engineering at UTA, is leading the National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity grant titled “Adaptive Robotic Nursing Assistants for Physical Tasks in Hospital Environments.”
“We envision our robotic nursing assistant will perform the more routine duties that must be done by nurses daily, such as sitting with a patient that is trying to get out of bed and walking with a patient,” stated Popa. “RE2’s mobile manipulation and robotic nursing design experience make the company an ideal partner for this program.”
RE2’s robotic manipulator arms will serve as the brawn for the robotic nursing assistant to aid patients and reduce on-the-job injuries suffered by nurses during lifting and maneuvering patients.
“We are honored to help design the next-generation robot to assist nurses with their daily tasks,” said Jorgen Pedersen, president and CEO of RE2. “We believe that there is a market for this technology within healthcare environments because of the productivity boost it will offer RNs – allowing them to focus on critical responsibilities while the robot performs the time-consuming mundane tasks.”
