New assistance robot for care

The upper body of the new 'Garmi' care robot is mounted on a tilt-proof mobile base on a lifting column that can be extended as required. Two arms are located to the right and left of the lifting column. Above it is a head with alert, occasionally blinking eyes. The new generation of Garmi has various sensors: Cameras are mounted at eye level to detect movements in the surroundings, at leg height a lidar keeps objects in the immediate vicinity at a sufficient distance and in future 3D cameras will additionally secure and coordinate the movements of the two arms. There is also a screen at chest height.

"The new Garmi understands language, develops a plan independently and brings something to drink," says Alexander König, whose team developed and implemented the new platform. Based on the new design, the first functionalities have now been developed that will be relevant for later use. The MIRMI professor says: "A robot has to work, be operable and appeal to people at the same time. That's why we are cooperating with design experts." Robotics expert König sees his research team in Garmisch as an integrator that brings technology and design together. This includes, for example, ensuring that Garmi grasps precisely (perception) and reaches the exact place where it is supposed to carry out tasks (navigation). The design should also support people in interacting and communicating with the robot and at the same time convey trust and safety.

"While the original Garmi was conceived as a versatile research platform, the new Garmi was developed specifically for the care context," says Annette Diefenthaler, Professor of Design and Transdisciplinarity and Head of the Munich Design Institute (MDI), who developed the design of the new robot together with an external partner. Several workshops in which carers, older people, doctors and robotics researchers took part provided important input for the design of the new generation of assistance robot. "Empathetic, competent, professional, trustworthy and friendly" was on the wish list of participants in a design workshop at the end of last year. Despite all the technology, it was clear that acceptance and emotional closeness to a care robot play a decisive role. This is one of the reasons why it is wrapped in loden: "The fabric combines tradition and future, gives the robot warmth and regionality and makes it more trustworthy," comments Prof. Diefenthaler.

"A friendly being that controls technology"

The robot looks more like a mobile platform than a humanoid. "But it was clear to us from the outset that the robot should have a friendly, approachable character - with subtle human-like features," says Diefenthaler. The new platform does not look like a human: "It is a friendly being that controls technology. The machine fades into the background and the robot establishes an emotional connection."

The new Garmi can pick up objects from the ground, but can also bring them down from high above. Unlike the first-generation Garmi, the face and screen are separate. In future, when a doctor is called in for a remote examination, their head will appear on the screen, just like in a video call. The next step is to secure the new Garmi so that it can be used both in care facilities and in the homes of senior citizens. Bringing something to drink is just the first step. "Helping people to get up, enabling communication and participation in social life, reminding them to take medication - there are many possible applications," says Prof. König.

The design decisions at a glance

The robot acts as a social companion. The interaction modes between face and screen are separated; social interaction takes place via the face, while remote diagnostics/video consultation takes place via the screen, which can also be used to feed in information. This separation makes use more intuitive and reduces the cognitive load for older people.

Thanks to a new concept for the robot arms, the arms are not part of the 'being' but are deliberately designed as functional tools. They are controlled by the character, but are visually and emotionally part of the machine. This decision strengthens the 'emotional legibility' of the robot and reduces potential fear of contact.

The partners LongLeif, Caritasverband für München und Oberbayern and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are conducting multidisciplinary research in Garmisch into new concepts and technologies for dignified, individual care and self-determined living in old age. This also includes the development of the new Garmi.