Technische Universität München
Robotics in Care: Researchers present new Garmi
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH
PRESS RELEASE
Technical University of Munich (TUM) develops new robotic nursing assistant
Researchers present new Garmi
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed a new robotic assistant. Robotics researchers from the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) and designers from the Munich Design Institute (MDI) collaborated closely on this project. The research team presented the new robot to the public on the occasion of a visit to the Garmisch Research Centre by Judith Gerlach, Minister of State for Health, Care and Prevention.
The Garmi has evolved: on a stable, mobile base, the upper body of the new care-assist robot is attached to an extendable lifting column with arms located on the right and left-hand sides of the column. Above the arms is a head with alert eyes that blink from time to time. The new generation of Garmi has various sensors: cameras are mounted at eye level to detect movements in the environment, a lidar at leg height keeps objects in the immediate vicinity at a sufficient distance, and in future, 3D cameras will secure and coordinate the movements of the two arms. There is also a screen at chest height.
Robotics researchers: integrators of technology and design
‘The new Garmi understands language, develops a plan independently and brings a patient something to drink,’ says Alexander König, whose team developed and implemented the new platform. Based on the new design, the first forward-looking functionalities have now been developed. The MIRMI professor says: "A robot must be functional and operable, but must also have an appealing appearance. That's why we are collaborating with design experts." Robotics engineer König sees his Garmi research team as an integrator that brings technology and design together. This includes, for example, precise grasping functionality (perception) and the ability to arrive at the exact location where a task is to be performed (navigation). The design should also support people in interacting and communicating with the robot while conveying trust and safety.
Bavaria's health minister Judith Gerlach said: ‘The new development approach of “Garmi” is extremely exciting. At its research site in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, TUM is creating innovative solutions that are ideally suited to relieving the burden on nursing staff. At the same time, the quality of life of people in need of care can be improved.’
TUM Vice President Gerhard Kramer adds: ‘The geriatronics research team in Garmisch has once again demonstrated that it is closely attuned to the needs of caregivers and older people. This is the only way to find solutions that ultimately provide optimal support for those in need of care. It's great to see that the new Garmi was developed in such close collaboration with the Munich Design Institute.’
Needs of caregivers, patients and clinicians
‘While the original Garmi was designed as a versatile research platform, the new Garmi has been specifically developed for the care context,’ says Annette Diefenthaler, Professor of Design and Transdisciplinarity and Director of the Munich Design Institute (MDI), who worked with an external partner to develop the design of the new robot. Several workshops attended by carers, elderly people, doctors and robotics researchers provided important insights for the design of the new generation of assistance robots. ‘Empathetic, competent, professional, trustworthy and friendly’ were among the characteristics listed on the wish list of participants at a design workshop held at the end of last year. Despite the technology involved, 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 clad in loden, a traditional wool fabric common in the Alpine region: ‘The fabric combines tradition and the future, gives the robot warmth and regional character and makes it more trustworthy,’ comments Prof. Diefenthaler.
The new Garmi: ‘A friendly being that controls technology’
The robot is more like a mobile platform than a humanoid. ‘But it was clear to us from the outset that it should come across as friendly and approachable – with subtle human-like features,’ says Diefenthaler. The new platform does not look like a human being: ‘It’s a friendly creature that controls technology. This allows the machine to fade into the background while the robot creates an emotional connection.’
The new Garmi can pick up objects from the floor, but also retrieve them from up high. Unlike the first-generation Garmi, the face and screen are separate. In future, when a doctor is connected for a remote examination, their head will appear on the screen, just like in a video call. The next step is to make the new Garmi safe for use in both care facilities and the home environment of senior citizens. Bringing a drink to a thirsty person is only the first step. ‘Helping people get up, enabling communication and participation in social life, reminding them to take their medication – the possible applications are wide-ranging,’ says Prof. König.
More information
Design decisions at a glance
- The robot acts as a social companion. The interaction modes between the face and the screen are separate: social interaction takes place via the face, while remote diagnostics/video consultation takes place via the screen, which can also be used to display information. This separation makes the robot more intuitive to use and reduces the cognitive load for older people.
New concept for the robot arms: The arms are not part of the robot’s ‘character’, but are deliberately designed as functional tools. They are controlled by the character but belong visually and emotionally to the machine. This decision boosts the robot’s ‘emotional readability’ and reduces any hesitancy about physical contact.
- The partners LongLeif, Caritasverband für München und Oberbayern (Caritas Association for Munich and Upper Bavaria) and Technische Universität München (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. Find out more: www.campus-gapa.de
Additional editorial information:
Photos: https://mediatum.ub.tum.de/1840738
Scientific contact:
Prof. Alexander König
Chair of Robotics and System Intelligence
Technical University of Munich
koenig@tum.de
Prof. Annette Diefenthaler
Chair of Design and Transdisciplinarity
Technical University of Munich
a.diefenthaler@tum.de
TUM Corporate Communications Center contact:
Andreas Schmitz
0162-27 46 193
andreas.schmitz@tum.de
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world’s leading universities in terms of research, teaching and innovation, with around 700 professorships, 53,000 students and 12,000 staff. TUM’s range of subjects includes engineering, natural and life sciences, medicine, computer sciences, mathematics, economics and social sciences. As an entrepreneurial university, TUM envisages itself as a global hub of knowledge exchange, open to society. Every year, more than 70 start-ups are founded at TUM, which acts as a key player in Munich’s high-tech ecosystem. The university is represented around the world by its TUM Asia campus in Singapore along with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Mumbai, San Francisco and São Paulo. Nobel Prize laureates and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde and Rudolf Mößbauer have conducted research at TUM, which was awarded the title of University of Excellence in 2006, 2012 and 2019. International rankings regularly cite TUM as the best university in the European Union.