I.

Research Plan:
Engineering Project
Nurse Assistive Remote Manipulation Service (NARS) Robot: A Home-based Utility and
Health Aide

a. Rationale:

According to recent studies, there has been a growing interest in innovative solutions in the
healthcare industry (Van der Heide et al., 2015). However, there are still problems and gaps in providing
efficient and personalized care to elderly, high risked individuals who have a high chance of infecting
others, and patients with limited contact with others. The use of robots in healthcare settings can
significantly reduce the risk of transmission by limiting physical contact between healthcare providers
and patients (Bogue, R. 2020). Robots are increasingly present inside hospitals and clinics to help health-
care providers with their work activities (C. Lauretti et al., 2017). Robots have the potential to enable
older adults to live in their homes longer by assisting them in maintaining their independence in the home
environment (Mitzner et al. 2021). This helps in research on aging, healthcare technologies, and
improving the quality of life for patients. It has the potential to improve medication adherence, remote
monitoring, and reduce the risk of infection for both patients and healthcare workers in household
settings. This research has the potential to improve the quality of life for patients, advance healthcare
technologies, and provide peace of mind for families and caregivers (Pineau, J. 2003)

b. Research Question or Problem being addressed:

How can the implementation of the assistive robot improve medication adherence and patient care for
elderly individuals, patients with high infection risks, and those with no contact with others?

c. Goals/Expected Outcomes/Hypotheses:

The goals of this research project are:

1. To develop a functional assistive robot capable of performing tasks such as medication reminders.

2. To assess the effectiveness of the assistive robot in improving medication adherence and patient care.

3. To evaluate the impact of the assistive robot on the quality of life for elderly individuals, patients with
high infection risks, and those with no contact with others.

The expected outcomes/hypotheses are:

1. The robot will significantly improve medication adherence for elderly individuals and those with
multiple medications to take throughout the day.
2. The assistive robot will provide accurate and timely medication reminders, reducing the risk of missed
doses and improving treatment outcomes.

d. Procedures:

DESIGN

Step1. Gather all knots, bolts, beams and plates and the necessary tools such as screwdriver and
wrench.

Step2. Start to analyze the robot itself and picture the design in mind.

Step3. Get a short beam and start to screw it horizontally on the robot by using the screwdriver on the
front and back

Step4. Get a tall beam and attach it vertically to the short beam both front and back

Step5. Get a plate and attach it to the tall beams right above the mbot core that will act as the flooring
of the first basket.

Step6. Add short beam at the side of the plate that will act as the divider to the wing basket.

Step7. Attach open cube brackets to both sides of the tall beam form the base for the plates of the wing
basket

Step8. Attach two short beams on the brackets.

Step9. Attach a plate on the short beams and attach bracket on the plate.

Step9. Attach two short beams vertically on the end of the two short beams facing horizontally.

Step10. Attach another bracket on the middle part to close the basket’s side.

Step11. Do it on the other side.

Step12. Attach thin long beams in between the two long beams at the back until it’s fully covered.

Step13. Attach bracket on the front of the main basket and attach medium sized beam on it.

Step 14. Attach the LED panel on the medium sized beam by srewing and attaching knots as lock.

Step15. Attach two open center plate on each side of the bracket for enclosing the main basket.

Step16. Attach brackets on both side of the long beams at front.

Step17. Attach short thin beam on the bracket secure it with a caster wheel for movement.

Step18. Attach slanted brackets on the end of the short thin brackets on both sides

PROGRAM
Manual control

Step1. Modify the output by pressing button 1-4.

Step2. Add eyes on the LED panel relative to the LED color and add the beeping sound with the ‘repeat’
condition for the alarm system that is aimed to notify the patient or healthcare provider.

Step3. Make sure that the modifications to each button are different for different purposes and test its
functionality.

Autonomous control

Line Tracing with Obstacle Avoidance

Step1. Attach the obstacle avoidance program to the line tracing program

Step2. Modify the value of the ultrasonic sensor according to the preferred distance.

Step3. Add the alarm and LED panel display in between those programs and add the “wait for (blank)
seconds” block for the medication intake time

Step4. Test the functionality of the program

Automatic Alarm system

Step1. Start with the “wait for (blank) seconds” block.

Step2. Create an alarm system block which consists of an LED panel display, LED color and sound.

Step3. Create the movement block relative to the alarm system.

Step4. Attach it all to the waiting time block respectively

Step5. Test the program and adjust it according to the observations made with the testing procedure.

e. Risk and Safety:

Some potential risks and safety precautions associated with the mBot nurse assistive robot include:

1. Designing the mBot with safety features to prevent accidents or injuries.

2. Testing the mBot thoroughly to minimize technical failures.

3. Ensuring the mBot is designed with appropriate safety mechanisms to prevent accidents or injury
during navigation and medication delivery.

f. Data Analysis
 The prototype successfully achieved the engineering goal of improving the quality of life for
patients by effectively providing medication reminders. The medication reminder feature effectively
alerts individuals to take their medication at specific times, promoting adherence to their treatment plans.
It showed a high level of accuracy in reminding individuals to take their medication at the specified times.
In this paper, the researchers were able to achieve their goal of making a functional assistive robot
"NARS".

g. Summary

The NARS Robot was designed as a healthcare assistive robot to improve the quality of life for patients.
Despite encountering challenges with certain features, such as movement and LED display, the
researchers successfully resolved these issues through adjustments in programming. The medication
reminder feature proved to be effective in promoting adherence to treatment plans and notifying
relatives in case of emergencies. The development of the NARS Robot addresses the engineering
problem of improving healthcare technologies and aligns with cultural beliefs and values. It offers a
versatile approach to patient care and sets itself apart from other nurse assistive robots in the market.
With its essential features, NARS offers a convenient and safe solution for medication reminders.

h. Bibliography

Bogue, R. (2020). "Robots in a contagious world", Industrial Robot, 47(5), 673-642.

Lauretti, C., Cordella, F., Guglielmelli, E., and Zollo, L. (2017). "Learning by demonstration for planning
activities of daily living in rehabilitation and assistive robotics", 2(3), 1375-1382.
Mitzner, T. L., Chen, T. L., Kemp, C. C., and Rogers, W. A. (2011). Critical opportunities for assisting
older adults as a function of the living environment (HFA-TR-1104).

Pineau, J., Montemerlo, M., Pollack, M., Roy, N., Thrun, S. (2003) Towards robotic assistants in nursing
homes: challenges and results. Robot Auton Syst 42:271–281

Van der Heide, Snoeijs, S., Malchiorre, M. G., Quattrini, S., Boerma, W., Scellevis, F., Rijken M. 2015.
Innovating Care for People with Multiple Chronic Conditions in Europe. ICASE4E