Vanderbilt: Triage bot

triage bot concept

Preliminary CAD cad model mockup for triage robot research proposal. The Robots were designed for the Vanderbilt Biomedical Engineering team in cooperation with Vanderbilt Emergency Medicine research as a sort of efficiency goal - ie: is it possible to enhance patient throughput using standardized flow models delivered by a robotic interface? In this case, using a variety of methods including touch, image recognition, and fluid collection combined with a non-threatening robotic presentation was the key.

Interface paradigms

GETTING STARTED

Entering an emergency room can be scary. There’s usually a waiting room full of folks who’ve been waiting for a while and their in a place that isn’t comfortable. In an ideal world, there is no queue, but at least in an level-one trauma center this isn’t always the case. Opportunities for efficiency optimization abound.

Enter Triage bot

It’s not a cold or condescending looking computer. Rather it’s friendly, soft, and inviting. It’s corners are round and it’s UI simple. I went with a blue interface that uses simple glyphs to let patients get started with minimal reading. Audio calmly reading to a patient as they move through the steps with haptic feedback that encourages a feeling of interaction.

Core functionality

In my research for the HealthOps project, I spoke with a bunch of staff about their jobs. A few of the residents and other hospital staff gave me some insights on what’s needed to triage a patient. The name of the game: get a baseline, get them in.

1. Mayday button. Ask if you at mortal risk now.

2. Get a patient name and date of birth using a touch pad

3. Scan or use onboard photo recognition to get insurance information

4. Speak your reason for coming into the department and use Natural Language Search to correlate the patient to a category

5. Get vitals by placing your hand on the screen and attaching bluetooth sensors if needed

6. Request samples if needed and place them in the collection bay

Setting a mood with marvin

When I designed this concept, the movie Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy had just been in theaters. I was immediately struck by the approachability of the robot design and the audacity of personality in machinery. I wondered if there was a way to apply that to some of the problems I was trying to fix in the Emergency Department at Vanderbilt.