What repetitive tasks can robots like Alter-Ego take over in hospitals?

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Robots like Alter-Ego can take over repetitive patient-support tasks such as bringing items and guiding patients to treatment.
In a Milan hospital trial, Alter-Ego is designed to perform basic, repeatable jobs that healthcare workers would otherwise do, including bringing a patient a bottle of water and guiding them to treatment. The robot can also stand in for a doctor working remotely, with a screen on its chest used for patients to transmit information such as pain levels instantly to ward nurses.
Bringing patients a bottle of water and similar basic errands
Alter-Ego is described as being able to bring a patient a bottle of water, which is a straightforward example of a repetitive in-ward task. The wider point raised in the trial is that hospitals contain routine, repeated activities that can be delegated to a robot.
Guiding patients to treatment
The robot can also guide patients to treatment, which again falls into a repeatable support role within a hospital ward. In the trial setup, it is positioned to interact with patients directly while other staff continue monitoring.
Standing in for a doctor working remotely while relaying patient data
Alter-Ego can stand in for a doctor working remotely, and it interacts with patients by asking questions such as how they are feeling and whether they need anything. Data collected through the robot, including a patient’s pain level shown on a chest-mounted screen, is sent instantly to nurses in the ward.
Handling the limit of what should not be delegated, such as pill administration
Even though nurses monitor patients and administer medicine by handing out pills, neurologist Rachele Piras said no one had considered directly delegating the administration of pills to the robot. The trial therefore frames robot takeovers around supportive tasks rather than specific medication administration.

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What repetitive tasks can robots like Alter-Ego take over in hospitals?

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