Healthcare provision poses significant challenges for our increasingly ageing society. Rural regions are particularly affected by this due to the shortage of skilled workers. Attracting respected professions, such as specialist doctors, to structurally weak regions is difficult on several levels, as poor infrastructure and a lack of quality of life in terms of leisure activities often draw doctors to metropolitan areas. However, the age structure in rural areas requires adequate medical care. Consequently, rural areas face the threat of a severe shortage of medical services. Initiated by the practice of Dr Ottmar Heller, the MARTA project involves the development of a concept, its experimental implementation and extensive validation at the practice of Dr Ottmar Heller, with the aim of stabilising medical care in rural areas. Specifically, the project focuses on the development of the ‘Doctor’s Practice 5.0’ in rural areas,drawing on the 5th Industrial Revolution. In this context, opportunities for automating individual processes within the practice are identified and implemented experimentally, such as appointment management, patient registration, printing forms, etc. All these tasks must be designed with the patient in mind, so that the highest possible level of user acceptance is achieved. User acceptance is one of the central aspects of the project, which is why acceptance studies are continuously carried out to iteratively optimise the technical project results. In addition to the humancentred behaviour of the concierge robot, its haptics and appearance are also being optimised as part of the project and enhanced with novel active and passive safety functions, based on sensor-integrated smart textiles.

The MARTA project aims to stabilise healthcare provision in rural areas through the development of the ‘Doctor’s Practice 5.0’. The focus is on automating practical processes such as appointment management, patient registration and form processing, all designed with a patient-centred approach to ensure high user acceptance. Ongoing acceptance studies ensure iterative optimisation. In addition, the interaction, haptics and appearance of the concierge robot are being improved and enhanced with innovative safety features through sensor-integrated smart textiles. This makes an important contribution to safeguarding healthcare provision in structurally weak regions.

1. Selection of a suitable concierge robot for use in a doctor’s surgery
2. Integration of sensor-equipped smart textiles to enhance safety and interaction
3. Development of algorithms to automate practical processes (e.g. appointment management, patient registration, form printing)
4. Conducting acceptance studies to evaluate user-friendliness and identify potential for optimisation
5. Iterative adaptation of technical solutions based on feedback from patients and staff
6. Optimisation of the robot’s haptics, appearance and interaction to increase user acceptance
7. Development of an integrated software system with a GUI for controlling and managing automated processes

Network Coordinator:

Bauhaus University Weimar
Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 8/15,
99423 Weimar
E-Mail: info(at)uni-weimar.de

Contact person:

Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences,
Blechhammer 9,
98574 Schmalkalden;
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Schrödel
Tel: +49 (0)3683 688-2107