(Garmisch-Partenkirchen) The “Garmi” robot resembles all machines of its kind: placed on a wheeled board, equipped with artificial arms, it has a black screen on which float, as eyes, two blue circles.
But for the retired doctor, Günter Steinebach, “it’s a dream”, which could make it possible to “make diagnoses and treat” and perhaps also in the long term to provide care and treatment.
The “Garmi” humanoid was designed by a dozen researchers specializing in “geriatronics”, a new discipline putting new technologies at the service of geriatrics. They are attached from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen station to the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
The choice of this resort in the Bavarian Alps owes nothing to chance: Garmisch-Partenkirchen has a large number of elderly people, in a country, Germany, facing one of the highest aging rates in the world.
While the number of caregiver positions to be filled by 2050 is estimated at 670,000, the researchers’ objective is simple: to introduce robots into health care facilities, retirement homes or housing for the elderly, and so prevent the doctor from making multiple trips.
“We have cash vending machines today?” One could imagine that one day, on the same model, people come to do their medical examination in a kind of technological hub, ”explains Doctor Abdeldjallil Naceri, 43, principal researcher and scientific manager of the laboratory.
This would allow doctors to assess the robot’s results remotely, which could prove particularly useful for people living in remote locations.
Multitasking, robots are also likely to serve meals, open a bottle of water, call for help in the event of a fall or organize a video chat with family and friends.
In the laboratory, doctor Günter Steinebach prepares to test the progress of the robot and takes his place in front of a desk equipped with three screens and a joystick.
At the other end of the room, a researcher designated as a guinea pig sits on a stool in front of Garmi, who puts a stethoscope on his chest – guided by Doctor Steinebach.
Medical data is immediately displayed on the screen of the caregiver. “Imagine, if I had this in my old office…” he slips, without letting go of his controller.
Just like the doctor, other caregivers from various disciplines regularly visit the lab to give their opinion on the design and learning of the robot.
“It’s like a three-year-old child. We have to teach him everything,” summarizes Dr. Abdeldjallil Naceri.
It remains to be seen when Garmi will be ready for mass production and everyday use. The costs of its manufacture and use have not yet been quantified.
“We have to get there, the statistics show it, it’s urgent. From 2030, we should be able to integrate this kind of technology into our society,” argues Dr Naceri.
If the project ever comes to fruition, then Garmi will likely make its first appearance in the quiet hallways of the Sankt Vinzenz retirement home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a partner in the geriatronics project.
The idea makes Madame Rohrer, 74, resident of the retirement home smile. “There are things a robot could do, like serve drinks or bring food,” she says as 30-something manager Eva Pioskowik brushes her nails while chatting.
The latter, for whom the lack of staff “is part of everyday life”, believes that there is no miracle cure for an extremely tense situation.
“A robot wouldn’t be the answer, but it might allow staff to spend more time with residents,” she said.
For Abdeldjallil Naceri’s team, one of the major challenges is not technological, medical or financial but that of the acceptance of the robot by patients.
“They’ll have to trust the robot,” he admits. “Let them use it like you use a smartphone today.”
