'Mental Health' Focused Robot Joins Staff At RivCo Nursing Home

RIVERSIDE, CA — A skilled nursing facility in Riverside County has added a caregiving robot to its staff, officials say.

Known as "Robin the Robot," the self-propelled unit has cruised the halls of Riverwalk since November interacting with residents to help with mental health needs or fill in as a friendly face for the 146-bed skilled facility in the heart of Riverside.

The robot can give details about medical procedures and move through the halls of the facility independently or under the control of a staff member. It can smile, talk, laugh, play games and even sing.

So far, things are going well with Robin, according to administrator Andrew Stephenson in a recent HealthLeaders.com report. Riverwalk Post-Acute is one of five adult healthcare centers to own their own Robin. There are 15 Robins currently in service across the country, said Karen Khachikyan, founder and CEO of Expper Tech which manufactures the robot.

The company started with a "child-focused design" and is expanding its platform to "solve the problem of the growing shortage of care providers and caregiver burnout." Expper Tech recently secured $2 million in seed funds to develop the next generation of caregiving robots, such as in place at Riverwalk.

Why does it work for nursing homes? Robin is described as having the personality of a 7-year-old, making it both inquisitive and easy to talk to, according to the staff of Riverwalk.

The robot can conduct baseline assessments and develop conversation through reading facial expressions. It can even alert staff to potential resident falls.

Still, Robin works best to bridge the gap when there is no one to talk to, as was often the case during the pandemic, according to Stephenson.

"Our patients come from all walks of life, each on their own path to recovery," Stephenson said. "Robin allows us to provide a companion to someone who may not have any family at all to help improve their stay and recovery while at our facility."

Robin is already helping patients overcome medical stress and anxiety while decreasing feelings of loneliness and isolation, Stephenson said.

As for the residents? Stephenson says they enjoy the interaction with Robin, adding, "to see the smiles on the residents' faces says it all."