Contactless Vital Signs Monitoring in Hospital Wards: A Quadruped Robot Approach

Ensuring a sufficient quality of sleep is critical for physical and mental health, as well as quality of life, performance, and productivity. For patients who are recovering in hospitals, sleep becomes more vital as it plays a significant role in the recovery process. With sounds and temperatures negatively affecting the patient's sleep quality, technology is being implemented to mitigate these challenges. However, it is found that certain areas in wards may not carry the optimal temperature, especially during extreme cold or hot seasons. This can ultimately result in extending admissions stays and delaying discharge which often leads to a backlog of patients waiting to be admitted to a bed. Hence, this paper proposes the deployment of a Quadruped robot to monitor and control the environmental temperature in the hospital. The Unmanned Vehicle will carry a set of contactless monitoring sensors to ensure that all regions within the hospital are sufficiently assessed. Certain factors will also be considered during this experimental study which will focus on vital signs such as COVID-19, carbon monoxide, temperature, and air quality. The deployment of such a robot will introduce a unique method of improving patients' recovery and mitigating any potential risks to the hospital staff, creating a safer working environment.