February 1989: The Newsletter of the Danbury Hospital

Roscoe the robot is put to the test at Danbury Hospital. A machine which can preform even the most remarkable tasks is just that, a machine, and still requires human intelligence to program it to do repetitive tasks. Then, while the machine preforms these mundane tasks, people can spend more time on activities which only people can do. 

Such is the case with Roscoe, a 1989 Blue Ribbon Exhibit at the New England Health Care Assembly. Roscoe is a prototype unit(or robot) designed by Transitions Research Corporation and being tested at Danbury Hospital by the Dietary employees. The name was submitted by Lisa Aurigemma. 

Roscoe’s first job at the hospital, where TRC has been perfecting his programming for over a year, is to deliver late meal trays to Tower nursing units. Roscoe in no way replaces an individual. He is designed to preform delivery jobs which will enable people to spend their time using their skills and training to provide patient care. 

All expenses involved in developing Roscoe are borne by TRC, not the Hospital. TRC, founded by Joseph F. Engelberger (who also founded Unimation), has been in the vanguard of providing technology of providing technology for applications of automation and robotic services. TRC chose Danbury Hospital as the first site of the tests of their HelpMate™ robot, and in so doing put Danbury Hospital in the spotlight.

Inquiries about Roscoe have come from newspapers, magazines, trade journals, TV and radio stations from Boston to Los Angeles and many places in between. Even though other hospitals have used automated guided vehicles which, unlike Roscoe, have to follow wires embedded in the floors, Danbury Hospital is the first in the country to use an autonomous mobile robot.

In addition, Rosco has brought executives from all over the country to Danbury Hospital. In the process of viewing Roscoe, these people have toured many areas of the Hospital. Sue Taub, Dietary Manager, says these people have been quite impressed with the quality and range of services the Hospital provides. 

Employees have asked the same question visitors ask: "Will Roscoe bump into people?” The answer is "No.” Safety is a critical element in the robot's design, according to Ms. Taub, and Roscoe will sense all objects in his path and either stop or go around them. In the event of an emergency, Roscoe can be stopped and pushed out of the way, just as you would push any other piece of equipment. The state elevator inspector has determined that Roscoe must ride the service elevator alone. While he is on it, flashing lights will warn employees not to enter the elevator.

There will soon be sessions in which employees will be instructed on how to operate Roscoe. Future possible uses for Roscoe's services include deliveries of supplies from Central Sterile Supply and Pharmacy, specimens to the lab, and mail throughout the Hospital. In the training sessions, the security aspects of Roscoe will be explained, and employees will learn how to dispatch and return him.

In the future, Roscoe's design may be changed and modified, depending on the tasks he will be performing. Suggestions from employees who will be using Roscoe are sought and encouraged. Ms. Taub says that Dietary employees have already made valuable suggestions for Roscoe's use. For example, a flashing light was installed in a dietary work area to alert employees that Roscoe has returned from his trip to a Tower nursing unit and is ready to be dispatched.

“It's the input from humans that makes Roscoe valuable,” concludes Ms. Taub. "After all, he's only a tool, in much the same way a computer is a tool. It's people who give care, not machines.”