Research group at Tallinn University of Technology
Tiia Rüütmann, Head of the Centre for Teaching Excellence of School of Engineering at TalTech wrote a post in Linkedin about introducing telepresence robots into her course. In her classes Prof. Rüütmann uses active learning methods therefore teleconferencing falls short of expectations and teaching happens only in person, however telepresence robots seem to have covered the gap and in her post Tiia expressed satisfaction with the results.
Scientist’s Night has always offered exciting activities for science and technology enthusiasts, but this year the spotlight was on the robot rally workshop, where participants had the chance to experience innovative solutions and challenges presented by controlling physical devices over the internet. In the workshop, participants remotely controlled a telepresence robot located on another floor and guided it through a specially designed race track, competing against the clock. This task provided hands-on experience in operating a physical device where there could be latency in the control response. Even small delays in transmitting control signals gave participants a realistic view of the challenges involved in remote control. Precision and timing were crucial, making this technological experience highly engaging.
We would like to sincerely thank you for participating in the PYNT event “The Future of Care with Socially Assistive Robots,” which took place on September 24, 2024, at TalTech’s Mektory Innovation Lab. Your presence and active engagement contributed to the success of the event and the valuable discussions and exchange of ideas. The event covered important topics related to the use of socially assistive robots in healthcare and elderly care. We would especially like to highlight our panel discussion, where leading experts in the field shared their knowledge: Kadi Lubi, Kitty Kubo, Liina Harjus-Soostar, Kristina Pärnaste and Merelle Tammann. Their expertise and practical examples provided a deep insight into the potential impact of this technology on the future of care and social interaction.
Modern technologies and Scandinavian history, that’s what the EdTech Estonia workshop is all about.
The pseudo-historic location Viikingite küla (Viking’s village) was chosen as the venue. Since Janika Leoste was in Spain at the time of the seminar, she took part in it with the help of a telepresence robot; a method which became rather a commonplace than an exception in our team.
The EdTech project is dedicated to the development of educational technologies in Estonia and Janika shared her thoughts on the possibilities of cooperation and financing of educational projects.
TalTech IT Didactics Research Group and Pihlakodu AS started a collaboration within the AIRE (AI & Robotics Estonia) demoproject, where the usage scenarios of the TEMI robot as an activity supervisor are designed to improve the well-being of the elderly in nursing homes, the necessary application is adapted for this purpose and it is validated as a solution to assist the activity supervisors in the daily work of Viimsi and Tabasalu nursing homes. The main goal of the project is to increase the well-being of bedridden clients by offering them an additional means of obtaining information and socializing and to test the possibility of reducing the challenges caused by the lack of nursing home staff, especially in the care of the elderly who need a more personal approach. On the 1st of August under the leadership of research team leader Janika Leoste, a training session on the use of the TEMI robot was held for the employees of Viimsi and Tabasalu Pihlakodu, where the general capabilities of TEMI and the application created for the nursing home were introduced.
The artificial intelligence and robotics center AIRE (EDIH) is financed by the European Digital Innovation Centers sub-programme of the Digital Europe Program and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (Project no.: 101083677)
What would a robotic arm in the middle of a kitchen remind you of? Joi from “Blade Runner 2049”? “There Will Come Soft Rains” cartoon? No, it’s a robotics lab in Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.