A number of user tests were successfully conducted by project INTUITIV. Together with our partners from DFKI (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence) HFC had the opportunity to test the robotic walker and the robotic arm in a real-world clinical setting and gather early data about their practical implementation and impact. Through these early prototype, “Wizard-of-Oz”-style experiments, in which robot functions and capabilities that are not yet implemented are simulated by an remote control operator invisible to the participants, we have gathered important data and further requirements of the respective stakeholders regarding the robotic platforms. Especially important for the purposes of the project was the fact that all participants were recruited from real patients at the clinic with varying degrees of mobility impairments, allowing for researching the behaviours and feelings of this vulnerable stakeholder group while in proximity to the autonomously navigating robotic plattforms.
The successful completion of our study enables Project INTUITIV to further inform and shape the design process for the robots and their behaviour towards more user-centered solutions suiting the needs and preferences of those who will interact and coexist with the robots in the future.
HFC would like to thank the Rehabilitation And Health Center Johannesbad Saarschleife, and especially all of the helpful participants supporting our research, for their dedication and making the user tests possible.