2020/08/31
Keio University Hospital
WHILL Inc.
Keio University Hospital (Hospital Director: Yuko Kitagawa) and WHILL Inc. (President and CEO: Satoshi Sugie) will begin a demonstration experiment of an autonomous driving system that transports patients based on in-hospital map data. This system allows patients to travel to their destinations within the hospital using personal mobility devices on their own, without requiring staff assistance.
This demonstration experiment aims to provide a means of in-hospital transport for patients who have difficulty traveling to their destinations on their own, such as those who are anxious about walking long distances due to the expansion of the hospital's clinical areas or those with mobility impairments in their legs and lower back. The goal is to prevent falls while walking, create a comfortable medical environment within the hospital, and improve medical services. Concurrently, it aims to reduce the burden on hospital staff by enabling patients to reach their destinations without staff support through autonomous driving.
In this system, a map of the hospital interior is created in advance. The personal mobility device, equipped with autonomous driving and collision avoidance functions that have memorized the map data, operates by analyzing its surroundings detected by a group of sensors. Passengers can travel to their destination set at the time of departure simply by riding, without any need for operation.
In 2018, Keio University Hospital was selected for the "Advanced Diagnostic and Therapeutic System with AI (Artificial Intelligence) Hospital" project, part of the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) by the Cabinet Office, which aims to realize Society 5.0. The hospital has since been promoting the integration of IT and AI. This initiative is supported by the AI Hospital Project.
Please see below for the full press release.