Health & Social Care
Helping people stay connected, independent and supported through practical, person-centred robotics
The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England calls for three major shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. NHS England’s virtual ward guidance also supports safe care at home and in care homes, while the Better Care Fund framework highlights prevention, independent living, and better use of digital technology.
Our health and social care robotic solutions help extend access to services, strengthen communication, support everyday routines, and reduce isolation. See below or click on a link to explore further.
Dr. temi
Dr. temi is an autonomous telemedicine robot that helps clinicians and carers connect with people in care homes, supported living, community settings, and private homes. It combines mobile video consultations with connected medical devices, enabling healthcare professionals to perform remote check-ups.
How is it used?
A nurse or trained care professional accompanies Dr. temi to the service user’s room and starts a video consultation with a remote healthcare professional, such as a GP. During the appointment, the nurse supports the use of connected medical devices while the GP reviews the readings in real-time. The GP can see and speak with everyone present and, where needed, adjust the robot’s position remotely to gain a clearer view and support the consultation.
Dr temi connected medical devices
What is the potential impact?
The main advantages of the solution are faster, safer medical triage when a service user has a health concern, and earlier identification of potential issues through more regular health-check rounds. This can help care teams respond more promptly, involve remote healthcare professionals when needed, and support a more preventative approach to care.
What are the expected benefits?
The key benefits we aim to achieve include the following:
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Reduced avoidable escalations: Ambulance call-outs, 111 calls, UCR referrals, etc.
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Faster clinical review: Time from concern raised to clinician input
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Better decision quality: Percentage of referrals with complete clinical observations attached
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Resident experience: Avoided hospital transfers, family satisfaction, and less resident disruption
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Staff confidence: Increased level of clinical support for staff
Partner with us to trial the Dr. temi solution
We are looking for a care home partner to pilot the Dr. temi solution and explore how telemedicine robotics can support residents, staff, and visiting healthcare professionals. If your organisation is interested in testing practical, people-centred technology in a real care setting, please get in touch.
Support for independent living in the home
​Robots can help with independent living by providing practical support that makes it easier for people to stay safe, connected, and confident in their own homes. They can help people communicate with family, carers, and professionals, support daily routines, reduce isolation, and provide reassurance when help is needed.
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See below or click on a link to explore our robotics solutions for independent living.
Telepresence for remote support and social connection
​Having a telepresence robot in the home allows someone living alone to easily connect to others, without the need to operate a device such as a tablet or phone.
What are the benefits of telepresence for independent living?
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Reduces social isolation & helps maintain relationships. Designed for ease of use, telepresence lets people quickly see and speak with family, friends, volunteers, or carers, even when distance, mobility, or health issues make visits difficult. This encourages more frequent contact.
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Provides a stronger sense of presence than a phone or video call. The physical presence and movement of the robot make conversations feel more personal and natural. The mobile platform allows for a fuller interaction so that you can enjoy the moment together; for example, by going into the kitchen whilst a meal is being prepared and then moving to the dining room when ready to eat.
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Supports regular check-ins from family members, carers, or support workers. It gives family members peace of mind by allowing them to quickly and easily visit a loved one without needing to travel every time.
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Helps people feel safer at home. It provides reassurance by making it easier to connect with someone for help and support, be visually reassured, and have informal conversations about mood, daily routines, meals, or general comfort.
Find out more about telepresence robots
For more information about how telepresence can be used, and the robot options available, visit our Telepresence Robots page.
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In partnership with Age UK Bristol and other care partners, we trialled the use of telepresence robots to help older adults who were experiencing loneliness or inactivity stay socially connected and become more physically active.
The RFG Smart Care App
Smarter support for independent living
Many people live alone and experience limited mobility, social isolation, and challenges in staying active, taking medication, or performing daily rehabilitation.
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Robotics For Good has designed an intelligent solution to address these issues by proactively encouraging social engagement and self-management to enhance well-being.
The RFG Smart Care App runs on the temi robot and is designed to provide gentle, proactive support by encouraging social connection, self-management, and well-being. Smart sensor and reminder events trigger the robot to locate the user and check in with them. If help is needed, a telepresence call to a support agent can be started immediately.
How it works
How it helps
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Reduces unnecessary home visits by enabling remote triage. The robot responds to sensor data by checking in with the service user to see if the user is okay. If further support is needed, a video call to a carer can be started, allowing a remote assessment of the situation to decide whether an in-person visit is required.
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Encourages physical activity and engagement. By engaging with the user, the robot helps them to stay active by offering a variety of interactive activities tailored to their preferences. These can be for health & wellness, or for entertainment or learning.
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Reminders & Messages help the user to keep a healthy schedule. Reminders and messages can be added in the Smart Hub to be sent to the user at a specific date or time. These are configured to the users' needs and may be used for medication reminders, for example.
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Supports regular check-ins from family members, carers, or support workers. It gives family members peace of mind by allowing them to quickly and easily visit a loved one without needing to travel every time. If a carer or family member needs to check that the user is taking their medication, they can place a regular video call and make a visual check.
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Helps people feel safer at home. It provides reassurance by making it easier to connect with someone for help and support, be visually reassured, and have informal conversations about mood, daily routines, meals, or general comfort.
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Reduces social isolation & helps maintain relationships. Designed for ease of use, telepresence lets people quickly see and speak with family, friends, volunteers, or carers, even when distance, mobility, or health issues make visits difficult. This encourages more frequent contact.
Case Study: Trailblazers Training Together Project with Age UK Bristol
Image: OhmniLabs
Background
A recent survey found that almost no local authorities in England were using telecare to address loneliness in older people (Woolham et al., 2018). It has also been found that there is poor engagement with physical activity groups and other community-based programmes amongst older, isolated people due to low self-confidence.
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We know that most older people would choose to live in their own homes, with care and support arranged around them. However, we also know that decreased physical fitness and ill-health can lead to loss of strength and mobility and increasing social isolation, posing further risks to health. At the same time we know that digital exclusion reduces people’s choices in terms of accessing services and maintaining social connectedness. The COVID lockdowns have led to many more older people getting online but there is still a significant group who have been unable to do so.
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The project was funded through the Ageing Well Service Development Fund and delivered as part of a multi-layered partnership programme run by the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). It was initiated by Bristol Health Partners with delivery partner Age UK Bristol. Project co-ordination was by Age UK Bristol and Kirsty Brown from Fitness For Life. Telepresence robots were sourced and supplied to Age UK Bristol by Robotics For Good C.I.C., along with ongoing support and training for the robot users. The technology included Alexa devices with an Alexa skill for exercise prompts and reminders. The Alexa devices were provided to the participants by Age UK Bristol with the University of Nottingham developing the Alexa skill. The devices were setup and supported by Robotics for Good CIC. The project is being evaluated by the University of Nottingham and Bristol Health Partners and it is hoped that the project will lead on to wider initiatives with similar goals.
Image shows a Trailblazers project volunteer visiting a care home resident using a telepresence robot.
Project Overview
This project helped socially isolated older people in their own homes by using telepresence robots to allow volunteers to visit them remotely and help them to do simple exercises to build their strength and confidence with the aim of helping them to get out of the house and resume social contact.
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A telepresence robot enables video communication without the client needing to setup any software and the interaction feels as though the volunteer is present with the client. The mobile platform of the robot allows the volunteer to move around with the client, allowing for a more social conversation and general feeling of presence.
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Over the course of the project, regular visits from the volunteer were used to allow friendships to be established and through this social connection improve the mental wellbeing of clients.
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Owing to the fact that the visits could be made from the volunteers’ own home, it also allows for the fact that people with a disability or unable to travel can use this technology to help others.
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In addition to helping older people, the volunteers benefitted from being introduced to the latest in robotic technology and learning new computer skills with the chance to improve their own digital literacy.
More details can be found on the project website here.
The Trailblazers project was a Finalist in the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards, 2023.
Image of the Ability Net Tech 4 Good Awards Finalist Logo