Engineering students from Loyola, IQS, Deusto and Comillas design an autonomous chair to facilitate patient transfers in hospitals

Engineering students from the four Jesuit universities in Spain -Loyola, IQS, Deusto and Comillas- have built autonomous chairs capable of moving safely along a circuit inspired by a hospital environment. The prototypes were presented and evaluated at the third edition of the SocialTech Challenge, held at the Centre for Advanced Clinical Simulation at Loyola University in Seville.

The Deusto team won the first prize thanks to its proposal for an autonomous chair, which achieved the highest score in the dynamic tests. The jury particularly appreciated the fact that this is a very comprehensive project and highlighted its efficiency, given that the team made use of a resource that already exists in hospitals (the conventional wheelchair) and added extra functionality through a smart platform that can be easily installed and removed.

The SocialTech Challenge is an annual competition in which teams made up of engineering students from the four participating universities design, build and test a prototype of an autonomous chair. The aim is to foster creativity, collaboration and innovation in tackling real-world challenges, demonstrating how technology can help improve people’s lives.

In this third edition, the challenge has focused on the hospital sector. The teams had to design solutions capable of facilitating the transfer of people with reduced mobility within healthcare settings, taking into account aspects such as safety, autonomy, ergonomics, intelligent navigation and adaptation to a particularly sensitive environment.

The prototypes have been tested on a circuit set up at the Advanced Clinical Simulation Centre, which includes various hospital departments featuring obstacles and scenarios that simulate the real-life needs of patients and healthcare professionals. Beyond its technical complexity, the project has had a very clear social purpose: to improve accessibility and the care provided to people with reduced mobility.

To enable the construction, testing and development of the chairs, the initiative is supported by organisations such as the Iberdrola Foundation, Sener Foundation, UNIJES, Caja de Ingenieros, Seville Provincial Council, Abero Medic, CitySightseeing Seville and IBM.