iCALO

Start October 1, 2024
End September 30, 2020
Project Status Ongoing
Grant agreement 731869
Reference Eurostars - Euroke

Project overview

The iCaLo (Integrated Care Logistics) project aims to revolutionize hospital logistics by deploying advanced robotic solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing hospital infrastructure. The system consists of a logistical base robot, a dexterous mobile manipulator, and a coordination system that enhances hospital operations without requiring extensive modifications. iCaLo introduces robots capable of navigating autonomously, manipulating objects, interacting with elevators and doors, and learning on the job through teleoperated demonstrations. The project focuses on achieving TRL 7/8 through real-world hospital validation, demonstrating its ability to support care staff, improve efficiency, and enhance patient care. By leveraging state-of-the-art robotics, fleet management, and AI-driven learning, iCaLo aims to solve the "last mile" problem in hospital logistics, ensuring seamless, cost-effective automation for healthcare environments.

€ 774 k
project funding
3
partners involved
2
countries involved
Logo of the European project iCaLo

Our Role

PAL Robotics is at the forefront of iCaLo, leading the integration of advanced robotic platforms to enable seamless automation in hospital logistics. Our TIAGo Omni Base and TIAGo mobile manipulator serve as key robotic platforms, ensuring autonomous navigation, dexterous manipulation, and fleet coordination within hospital environments.

Through hardware and software enhancements, PAL Robotics contributes to making iCaLo robots smarter, safer, and more adaptable to real-world challenges. Our work includes robot-elevator interaction, customized grippers for door-opening, and the development of logistical hardware add-ons.

By integrating intelligent fleet management and teleoperation capabilities, we ensure hospitals can benefit from an efficient, scalable, and adaptive robotic workforce without disrupting existing workflows.

Key responsibilities

  • TIAGo Omni Base & Mobile Manipulator Integration – Enhancing autonomous navigation and manipulation capabilities in hospital logistics.
  • Fleet Management – Enabling seamless communication between robots, elevators, and hospital systems for optimized coordination.
  • Learning from Teleoperated Demonstration (LfTD) – Implementing AI-powered learning to allow robots to acquire new skills on the job.
  • Hardware Customization – Integrating custom grippers, logistical add-ons, and enhanced dexterity features to improve robot performance.
  • Certification & Validation – Supporting robot certification processes and conducting real-world hospital trials to ensure regulatory compliance.
  • User-Centered Design – Developing an intuitive interface to enable care staff to interact effortlessly with iCaLo robots.

Partners

Logo of Heemskerk Innovative Technology (HIT)
Logo of Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA)