EVELINE RUTZ Lio tells jokes, plays music and knows what the weather will be like. Lio can use a lift and transport things - listens and is patient. Lio is a robot created to ease the burden on nursing staff. First of all, however, the “assistant” has to learn the ropes. “It currently creates more work rather than supporting us,” says Marlies Petrig from the Kompetenzzentrum Pflege und Gesundheit (KZU) nursing home in Embrach. Lio must be spoken to clearly and often has to be told things more than once. Even bringing a drink is a stretch for the robot. Its fine motor skills are limited and it needs regular updates. Lio is far from being able to compete with the staff. Petrig says: “Anyone who was worried about being replaced by Lio wasn’t worried for long.” The service robot has been at the KZU since June 2022 as part of a pilot project. “We are going to work more with technology going forward,” says Marlies Petrig. It’s especially helpful for the younger employees to get used to these innovations at an early stage so they can familiarise themselves with the technological and ethical issues, she adds. Designed for repetitive tasks One day, assistant robots like Lio may well help alleviate the nursing crisis. “They can help offset the staff shortage,” says Albino Miglialo from F&P Robotics, the company that created Lio. Machines are best suited to repetitive tasks, so the professionals have time to do other jobs. “Robots have a lot of potential and are developing fast,” says Miglialo. In the meantime, the staff hope most of all to see the popular initiative “For better nursing care” bear fruit. It won a clear majority when it came to a vote on 28 November 2021, with 61 per cent of the Swiss electorate voting in favour. The Swiss Abroad approved the initiative with a similar majority. Hospitals, retirement and nursing homes celebrated: finally, there would be more autonomy and better working conditions for nursing staff. A training drive was also going to attract more people to the profession, at a time when the ageing nature Lio still has a lot to learn Will robots be our carers in the future? Machines may well support nursing staff one day. But before then, nurses want most of all to see the implementation of the popular initiative “For better nursing care”, which received the thumbs-up from the electorate in 2021. of society is posing major challenges. Two years on and not much has changed on the ground. Marlies Petrig feels patience among the nurses is wearing thin. They had expected prompt improvements, she says: “People tend not to realise that it takes time to convert political initiatives into something more tangible.” The situation has actually deteriorated since 2021: the labour market Robot Lio can also help with making people laugh – it can tell jokes. Photo: Keystone Swiss Review / March 2024 / No.2 22 Society
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