Imagine yourself in a hospital room that is always a bit cold and stark. Here comes a strange robot on a giant wheel to cheer you up and bring you your food. It’s Miroki, “the hospital assistant”. Her role: move objects to support caregivers.
“In hospitals, spaces are organized according to the movement of objects. And there are hundreds of thousands per week for staff members,” explains Jérôme Monceaux, founder of Enchanted Tools, the startup behind this very cute robot. “If these trips become a bit more ‘free’ in terms of human energy expenditure, then we can rethink the way we organize ourselves. By avoiding these time-consuming trips, caregivers could focus on other, more important tasks.”
Sheets, dressings, medicines, food trays, samples to take to the rooms… everything that needs to be transported from point A to point B regularly and in advance could be carried out by this robot, which can also push a trolley using handles specially designed for him. With, as a bonus, an adorable face to bring a little cheer.
An aid that looks like a cartoon hero.
This is where enchanted tools come into play. The Parisian startup was born in June 2021 following in the footsteps of Jérôme Monceaux, one of the men behind Aldebaran’s Nao and Pepper robots. “I had wanted to rethink the concept of a robot for a long time, to think about it with a purpose and a story in mind,” he recalls to Tech & Co as we discovered this strange individual in a sphere on the planet Miroko. In just over a year, Miroki has come to life in a dazzling and impressive way. And this, thanks to the fifty engineers who joined the adventure, but also thanks to a creative team, with its artists and animators who brought the robot to light and the images.
Because he not only rides, he also knows how to talk and is the hero of his own animated film that contextualizes his role and puts him on stage. And he is particularly successful: the humanoid and animal-like robot immediately exudes an obvious good-naturedness and benevolence.
Experiments are currently being carried out at the Broca hospital in Paris. From the top of the almost 1.25 m and 28 kg of it, Miroki began to wander through the corridors of the establishment under the half-astonished, half-delighted gaze of staff and patients. And the first response is encouraging. “We went to gather opinions from the staff and we realized that this is a help that is greatly appreciated in an establishment that cares for the elderly. For them it has become essential. It took them out of the routine and that allowed them to concentrate. on what is important”, says Jérôme Monceaux, who wants his robot to be above all discreet and as discreet as possible. “We can take the wonderful to places that are not there all the time”.
Be useful before being a tech demo
With his Ratchet-esque melodies, the character from the PlayStation video games, Miroki is obviously destined to lend a hand in pediatric units such as the Necker Hospital where he will soon be admitted, but also in public places such as airports to guide and inform vocally. On his ball, he balances perfectly and can easily take a few jolts, we promise at Enchanted Tools. The ball is a means of additional mobility, but also energy saving compared to a bipedal robot. Loaded with sensors, microphones and cameras (plus an integrated remote-controlled mini-computer) to locate and avoid obstacles, it also has some flexibility of movement and real fluidity. You can take the hand to walk without having to force it.
Miroki also knows how to detect small sensors called “runes” that, associated with a person or an object, can guide him in the right direction. He can also follow the gaze of the person in front of him quite impressively for close proximity. But if there is an essential point for the creator of him that distinguishes him from the usual robots that want to compete in feats, it is the desire of Enchanted Tools not to make him an autonomous individual. “Miroki is there to help, to be part of a script written by individuals and to integrate it. Therein lies his maturity. He is made to be useful, not for a technical demonstration of engineers,” insists Jérôme Heaps.
And Miroki will soon have a crash partner. Miroka will appear in the summer and thus offer a feminine alternative to professionals who want to hire the services of these budding “charmers”. Because at almost 30,000 euros, they are not intended to be consumer goods. Final adjustments and tests will arrive in the coming months. To see Miroki and Miroka in action, we’ll have to wait until 2025 at the earliest.
Source: BFM TV
