Toppan, a Tokyo-based provider of sustainable, integrated solutions in the fields of printing, communications, security, packaging, décor materials, electronics, and digital transformation, is using its TransBots digital twin solution to support nursing services in hospitals.

Toppan’s TransBots is a digital twin solution that features virtual reality (VR) and computer vision technologies and can be used to control several service robots both simultaneously and remotely.

Source: Toppan

To make this determination, the team trialed the TransBots at Shonan Kamakura General Hospital in Kamakura, Kanagawa. There, the TransBots system directed multiple robots to move throughout a hospital, supporting nursing staff with tasks such as patient guidance and reception services.

Automating healthcare tasks, according to the company, could potentially reduce the workload on nurses and a healthcare system impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan was looking at ways to reduce the workload for nursing and care services, including the use of robots,” said Tomoichiro Shibue, deputy head of Toppan’s Business Innovation Center. “TransBots can facilitate the use and control of robots for diverse services in healthcare settings and the results of this pilot test will enable us to refine the solution towards practical implementation.”