27 Mar '14

IWT invests €250,000 in Zora robot

Summary

The government of Flanders is providing €250,000 to Ostend tech company Qbmt for the further development of the humanoid robot Zora

 

Zora provides services in rest homes

The government of Flanders’ agency for innovation through science and technology (IWT) is investing €250,000 in the continuing development of the humanoid robots called Zora, a joint project between Ostend technology company Qbmt, Ghent University and the University Hospital of Ghent.

Zora is a 57-centimetre tall programmable robot (pictured) with a number of sensors. Qbmt is designing the software for the robots, which are produced in France by Aldebaran Robotics. Zora will be deployed in, among other sectors, rest homes and hospitals to, for example, read the newspaper or the daily menu, assist during rehabilitation and exercises and generally entertain residents and patients.

The new funding will help pay for further development of the robot to help patients with epileptic fits and to monitor muscle development in patients undergoing rehabilitation. A Zora is currently active in the retirement home De Boarebreker in Ostend, but other robots will soon be delivered to other Flemish rest homes. There is also interest from the Flemish government’s investment agency PMV and from organisation in the Netherlands and Germany.

Photo courtesy Qbmt

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