Sep 4 2015
It can be rotated and attain 12 different positions to achieve permanence and transfer of patients with specific requirements
Mexican specialists in mechatronics, industrial and mechanical design, and artificial intelligence, developed a robotic care bed called Camabot equipped with an intelligent safety system for monitoring patients in hospitals, it also allows to place them in 12 different positions.
The development of the prototype was carried out in a year with the participation of 70 specialists from the General Service Office for Information and Communications Technology (CGSTIC) of the Center of Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) and the Center of Industrial Design Research, from the National University of Mexico (UNAM).
The project has led to six patents, 22 packets of information currently being reviewed for intellectual property protection and 10 items on display at international conferences.
Mariano Zúñiga Gamboa, general coordinator of the CGSTIC said that in collaboration with the Juarez Hospital of Mexico they have defined 36 possible projects, of which the design and construction of a robotic care bed for patients with mobility problems due to illness or advanced age was chosen as the first target.
The team also carried out a survey of requirements in caring for bedridden patients and consulted with over 300 doctors, orderlies and nurses at the same hospital.
Also, the researcher at Cinvestav said that for the manufacture of the robot bed they took into account the details of medical specialists, as a cardiology patient will need to be placed or manipulated differently than a patient with broken bones, for example; thus the requirements of 11 specialties were attended and they will continue to consider more in the following processes of perfecting the device.
The head of the project and construction of Camabot, Dr. Eduardo Vazquez Santacruz said that the prototype was conceived from three basic mechanisms, including smart railings. He added that for an ergonomic design anthropometric measures were considered for the Latin American population, contemplating the sector as a potential market.
The robot bed supports 350 kilos of weight and its innovative mattress is fragmented into cubes with a material that does not absorb fluids form the patient, which could damage the mesh of the smart electric system that detects the position of the patient and sends information to the command center.
Camabot also has a graphical interface with buttons for operation, and a battery that provides 10 hours of power. In this regard, Dr. Vazquez Santacruz especially emphasized that a robot bed may not be displayed in a commercial context if communication for the user is not contemplated, hence the importance of the practical and functional interface operation.
"We conducted a reliability analysis and feasibility studies to assess whether we have the resources and conditions necessary for the viability of the project, and the result is a Mexican product that competes internationally.
"We have competitive advantages over similar products on the international market, with the use of technology, tools and Mexican supplies the price is much more accessible, $ 22,000 US dollars” the Cinvestav consultant ended.