News Story

KMi-led robotics project receives major funding to enhance hospital efficiency and safety

Thursday 23 Jan 2025

A pioneering robotics project, led by Prof Enrico Motta’s team at KMi, has secured Innovate UK funding to improve hospital efficiency and safety. This initiative aims to revolutionise hospital efficiency and safety through the deployment of AI-driven robots. These smart robots will handle routine tasks, such as delivering medicines, while simultaneously identifying and addressing safety hazards like intruders, wandering patients, and floor hazards.

This project builds on Agnese Chiatti’s award-winning PhD research at the OU. Agnese developed a robot capable of recognising environmental hazards, such as fire risks, a breakthrough that earned her the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science. Her work laid the foundation for applying robotics in real-world settings, particularly in healthcare.

In partnership with Swift Robotics, a local startup specialising in robots for hospitals and shopping centres, the project will enhance robots to take on complex responsibilities. The robots will be trialled at MK University Hospital. By automating routine deliveries and identifying risks in real-time, these robots will free up staff to focus on critical patient care, improving hospital safety and potentially saving lives. The societal impact of this project is potentially highly significant. It offers cost-saving benefits while enhancing efficiency and safety in hospitals. If successful, this innovative approach could see widespread adoption across healthcare systems in the UK and beyond.

This international effort, part of the Eureka framework’s “Resilient Enterprise” initiative, includes collaborators from Finland, Switzerland, South Korea, and the UK. The OU’s role focuses on healthcare robotics, leveraging long-standing partnerships, including one with Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre.

Finally, this project also contributes to the MK:Smart initiative, a research programme launched in 2014, which fosters innovation and the smart city agenda in Milton Keynes.