He has a smiling face and his goal is to be a support for elderly people, to perform other services such as admissions and the main exhibition area tour, and to “unlock” the computer skills of young students. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Ozzy Robot, an entirely Greek creation. This is a robotic system that is manufactured as a whole, both its software and hardware, Ozzy Robotics Companywhich is an offshoot of the Institute of Information Technology and Communications (IPTIL) National Center for Research and Technological Development (EKETA) in Thessaloniki.

“Since 2015, we have been creating software for robotic systems that support the elderly. Along the way, we thought we’d move on to building robots in general, from start to finish, which is why we created Ozzie Robotics in 2020. Today we are very proud that our robots are ready and already available on the market. We can even make adjustments to suit the needs of each of our clients.” – says Dimitris Gyakoumis “K”., Research Fellow at EKETA-IPTIL, CEO of Ozzie and co-founder of the company along with Dimitrios Tsovaras and Andreas Kargakos. As for the name of the company, it comes from the play “The Wizard of Oz”, which captivates children and adults and awakens an appetite for “magical” creations.

Two sizes

Greek robots Ozzie will be tested in hospitals in Rome and Berlin.

Ozzy’s robots come in two sizes, one is 80 cm high and his larger “brother” is 120 cm high, while its width is about 50-60 cm. The first function that programming of this robotic system can realize concerns the monitoring and support of the elderly and patients . “The robot records whether the elderly person is sleeping or whether there is movement in the hallway at night, whether there is any violation or accident. Ozzy, based on the appropriate algorithms, autonomously moves in space in order to take the best position. If something unexpected happens to the person it is accompanying, such as a fall, the robot notifies a relative or caregiver with a mobile message to provide immediate assistance,” explains Mr. Giakoumis.

At the end of the day, Ozzy’s robot records the elder’s activities, such as how much he walked, how many hours he lay down, and whether he ate. “Today, our operating system recognizes a series of actions of a person supporting a robot: if he is eating, if he is drinking, if he is sitting, if he is walking, if he is standing, if he is lying down, if he has fallen. Once this data is shared with the relative or their companion, it is then deleted,” says Mr Giakoumis.

Ozzie Robotics partners believe that their robots can be very useful in nursing homes, as well as in care and treatment centers for the elderly, as well as in hospitals. Ozzie robots are already participating in trials of the Odin research project and are preparing to be piloted in hospitals in Rome, Berlin and other European cities.

The second function is reception and excursions to museums or exhibition grounds. “Ozzy can greet the visitor, direct them to the exhibits they want to see, and ‘talk’ to them about the exhibition,” the IPTHEL researcher tells us. The assistant robot is already preparing to start its career at the Innovation Park in Larisa.

In addition, Ozzy’s smiling robots are used in education, helping children in schools to learn robotics and programming and take the first steps in this process. Last year, Ozzie Robotics partners visited many schools, and children’s interest in them is very high.