ROBO.KIWI

ROBO.KIWI is investigating how to preserve the experiential knowledge of nursing professionals over the long term and make it usable for training purposes. To this end, real-world nursing procedures are recorded and analyzed using mobile, body-worn sensors and then transferred to a humanoid robot system. The goal is to create a novel learning tool that not only documents nursing expertise but also allows trainees to physically experience it. In this way, valuable experiential knowledge will be preserved across generations.

Experiential nursing knowledge encompasses more than just technical and textbook knowledge. It also includes movement routines, interaction patterns, and situation-specific decisions developed over the years that nursing professionals apply in their daily work. An important component is what is known as embodied movement knowledge, such as during mobilization, transfers, or the ergonomic support of care recipients.

This knowledge is often implicitly embedded in practical actions and is difficult to fully describe or document. When an experienced nursing professional retires, there is therefore a risk of losing knowledge and skills that are of great importance for high-quality care. 

Artificial intelligence analyzes the collected sensor data and identifies characteristic motion and interaction patterns of experienced nursing professionals. These patterns are consolidated into a digital knowledge model and transferred to a humanoid robot system. In this way, AI helps preserve experiential nursing knowledge and make it available for training purposes.

No. The humanoid robot in ROBO.KIWI is not intended to replace nursing staff, but rather to serve as an interactive learning partner in nursing education. It helps convey the motion sequences and experiential knowledge of experienced nursing professionals. Human skills such as empathy, communication, and individualized care will remain an indispensable part of professional nursing in the future.

Instead, the robot is intended for use in so-called “Skills Labs" – realistic training and simulation labs for nursing care. There, trainees can practice practical skills under safe conditions and benefit from the experience of long-standing nursing professionals. The goal is to support nursing education and enable new forms of hands-on learning.

Nursing professionals acquire many important skills not only through textbooks or by observing others, but also through hands-on experience. While digital learning formats such as video applications, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) have proven its effectiveness for teaching theoretical and procedural knowledge, they can only partially reflect the physical dimension of nursing interactions.

This is exactly where ROBO.KIWI comes in: The humanoid robot is designed not only to demonstrate nursing expertise but also to make it physically accessible. In realistic training scenarios, the robot can demonstrate the motions of experienced nursing professionals or, as a care recipient, simulate realistic reactions and objections. This creates new opportunities to train practical skills under realistic and safe conditions and to establish proven patterns of behavior in the training process over the long term.