Abstract:

Education of students of engineering majors requires multidimensional actions. Therefore, as part of the 3rd edition of Individual Study Programmes implemented in the form of Project Based Learning at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice (Poland), an interdisciplinary team was created, including tutors and students from the following three faculties: the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and the Faculty of Architecture.

The didactic purpose of the project was to develop the ability to creatively solve design problems and create solutions that meet human, often specific needs. On the other hand, the investment process presents its participants with tasks related to their social responsibility and the educational process should emphasize the social impact of project activities and creating a framework for the participation of all user groups in social life.

The practical purpose of the project was to create a prototype of an automated social robot which forms part of the equipment for an elderly person's control centre, and which will also provide support to caregivers of dependent elderly people.

At the initial stage of the project, the method of analysis and criticism of the literature was used, owing to which the objectives of the project were defined. On the basis of literature sources, analyses of examples and design recommendations, basic trends in furnishing rooms related to the stay of a dependent elderly person were indicated.

Ergonomic guidelines constituted a point of reference for determining the functional and formal conditions in shaping the elements of room equipment dedicated to the elderly. As part of the project, pilot studies were also carried out at the Geriatric Hospital in Katowice, which helped to characterise the environment surrounding a geriatric patient and verify the adopted design assumptions.

The result of the conducted studies was the formulation of design guidelines in the form of a robot design being a piece of furniture (multifunctional table).
In the next stage, the method of selecting the structural form of the robot was formulated, taking into account the limitations of a dependent elderly person. The project used artificial intelligence in the robot control subsystem based on ROS (Robot Operating System), which enables the processing of perception signals.

The end result is a ROBOassistant prototype created using additive technology (3D printing). Then, its functionality was verified in the LeonardoLab space, taking into account the different configuration of the equipment located there.

The activities described in the article, related to the organization of work during classes, and the presentation of the final results are an example of various initiatives: on the one hand, they are the result of cooperation at the university with the social environment (in this case, a healthcare facility), on the other hand, it was an exchange of experiences between students of faculties of education such as bioengineering, mechanics and architecture and with participants of the designed space - employees of the geriatric ward.

Keywords:

education for experience, dependent elderly person, healing environment.