Oak Hammock at UF embraces technology with robot that runs food, collects dishes and more
Oakley has been serving the senior residents of Oak Hammock at the University of Florida for more than a year.
During lunch time, Oakley runs food to and from the café, brings dirty dishes to the kitchen and delivers supplies to different areas of the campus.
As a "butler," Oakley sometimes moves about the room offering residents snacks and refreshments.
One important note: Oakley is a robot.
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Oak Hammock residents and leaders of its information technology and culinary services departments decided that it was time to embrace the idea of robotics in senior living in August 2023.
Chris Rocks, the associate director of culinary experiences at Oak Hammock, said he worked closely with Bob Stott, Oak Hammock's director of information technology, to help the staff get acclimated to Oakley and its features.
Rocks said Oakley is a Servi Plus model from Bear Robotics, a U.S.-based robotics company located in California. Oak Hammock leases the robot for $20 per day or about $2.50 per hour.
Oakley can operate in three modes — busser, host and butler — and is engineered to navigate dynamic environments with its AI system and mapping technology to avoid bumping into residents and items with a patented near-zero blind spot detection.
Rocks said there are QR codes placed throughout the building for Oakley to scan and know where it is located to navigate.
"Oakley helps with time and labor by carrying the dishes from the dining area to the kitchen and the amount of weight and dishes Oakley carries can save the staff's back and legs," Rocks said. "Oakley also saves them (staff) time to interact with residents."
Oakley has three levels and can carry 15 to 20 pounds a load. According to Oak Hammock, Oakley saves team members approximately 190 trips per week and moves between 1 to 2 miles each day.
And the best part? Oakley can work 10 to 12 hours per day on just four to six hours of rest.
Jack Spencer has been an Oak Hammock resident for two years and was a UF engineering graduate in 1960.
Spencer said he is glad to see how advanced technology is when he sees the robot transport food and drinks to him and other residents.
"It is very good technology and I am glad Oak Hammock administrators looked into it," Spencer said. "Down the road I can definitely see the healthcare workers at the nurse station using it. It's nice to have new technology around seniors and it's nice that Oak Hammock is at the forefront."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Oak Hammock's robot Oakley helping residents and staff in Gainesville
