Care Robots in Practice: Operational Efficiency for Operators

In classic consulting, discovery phases for automation projects often take three to six months. For care operators, this timeframe is untenable given the acute staff shortage. werob uses a Spec Engine that was trained on data from more than 35,000 projects. Within 48 hours, a verbally described workflow such as the medication round or laundry transport is translated into a precise robot specification. This process eliminates lengthy scoping discussions and creates immediate clarity about technical feasibility.

The specification takes into account not only the purely mechanical task but also the infrastructural conditions on site. Elevator connections, door controls, and Wi-Fi coverage are integrated directly into the requirements profile. The goal is smooth embedding into the existing shift schedule without staff having to acquire IT skills. Through this standardized approach, werob shortens the time to the first quote to five days. Operators thus receive a basis for decision-making that is grounded in hard facts and operational necessities rather than vague technology promises.

The use of robotics in care must pay off in business terms immediately. The data from live operation at customers such as leading operators show clear results. An automated medication round leads to annual cost relief of significant amounts per site. This sum results from reducing unproductive travel times and minimizing sources of error during distribution. In the area of internal logistics, for instance the transport of dirty laundry or meals, the relief averages substantial sums per year.

These figures are not theoretical projections but are based on werob's outcome-only model. Operators only pay once the robot is in productive use. The commercial risk thus shifts from the customer to the systems integrator. For a care group with, for example, four sites and five robots each, the annual relief adds up to considerable seven-figure amounts. These funds can be reinvested directly into the quality of care or into the attractiveness of jobs for specialist staff. Amortization begins on the first day of live operation in the Cockpit.

A common mistake when introducing robotics is so-called vendor lock-in, the tie to a single manufacturer. werob acts hardware-agnostically and carries no robot manufacturer of its own in its portfolio. Instead, the Supplier Match accesses a catalog of more than 44 OEM partners and 280 different robot types. These include established service robots from Keenon or Pudu as well as advanced humanoid systems from Apptronik or Figure AI. The system ranks this hardware against the operator's individual specification.

This ranking ensures that the most efficient device is chosen for each task. While a simple service robot is sufficient for pure tray transport, more complex interactions or overcoming obstacles require specialized kinematics. In a Hamburg care facility, for example, the first humanoid pilot project was successfully integrated into operation and, as of May 2026, is already in its twelfth week of operation. Through independence from individual manufacturers, the operator remains flexible and can expand its fleet at any time with new, more powerful models without having to replace the entire infrastructure.

The legal framework for the use of robots in care is becoming stricter. Particularly relevant is the new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, which becomes binding from 20 January 2027. It imposes high requirements on conformity assessment, especially for imports from manufacturers outside the EU. werob acts here as a compliance path and ensures that all deployed systems hold the necessary certifications. This also includes ISO 13482 for personal care robots, which governs safe contact between human and machine.

In addition, country-specific requirements such as those of the German care home inspectorate must be met. Data protection under the GDPR is a critical factor for camera-based systems. werob integrates these regulatory requirements directly into the live Cockpit. A four-dimensional traffic-light system permanently monitors the status of the hardware, the infrastructure, the specification, and indeed the regulatory compliance. Should legal requirements change, this becomes immediately visible in the Cockpit and can be addressed proactively. This protects operators from liability risks and ensures legally compliant operation throughout the entire lifespan of the fleet.

A robot that acts as an isolated island solution often generates more administrative effort than it saves. True efficiency arises through the connection to the operator's existing software stack. werob delivers pre-built connectors for market-leading systems such as PointClickCare and MatrixCare. This integration enables the robot to receive information about tasks directly from the care documentation. When a medication order is triggered in the system, the robot automatically sets off to collect the delivery.

This connectivity ensures that every step the robot takes is documented and flows into the digital patient record. Staff do not have to operate any additional software but continue to work in the familiar environment. The bidirectional communication also ensures that the status of the tasks is synchronized in real time in the werob Cockpit and in the care system. In addition to EHR systems (Electronic Health Records), werob also supports integrations into ERP systems such as SAP EWM for warehouse logistics within large facilities. This makes the robot an integral part of the digital infrastructure and not just a mechanical aid.

As soon as the robots are on the floor, the werob Cockpit takes over central control and monitoring. This is an operational layer that goes far beyond simple monitoring. The system monitors the fleet in real time and detects deviations from the specification before they lead to failures. If a robot cannot fulfill its task due to a blocked lane, for example, this is reported immediately and an alternative route is calculated or the staff is informed.

The Cockpit also serves as an interface for maintenance and software updates. Because werob is operationally active in 11 European countries, data on the performance of different OEM models continuously flows into the platform. These insights are used to improve customers' deployment plans. Operators receive monthly reports on the relief achieved and the utilization of the fleet. This transparency is the basis for the outcome-only model: only a functioning, integrated, and regulatorily flawless fleet generates the promised added value. The Cockpit is thus the digital backbone for stable 24/7 operation in the care facility.

The onboarding process at werob is designed for speed and operational precision. It begins with a simple capture of the current state: Who are you, what does the shift look like, and which task should be automated? In this eight-stage process, the on-site infrastructure and regulatory specifics are also queried. Because werob already has 200 robots in live operation, many challenges can be solved in advance through existing best practices. After the 48-hour spec phase and the quote within five days, the introduction phase follows.

Within eight weeks, the hardware is delivered, the connectors are integrated into the stack, and the staff is briefed on site. This tight schedule is only possible because werob, as a systems integrator, takes over the entire complexity of OEM communication and technical integration. The operator does not need to build up its own capacities for project management. The goal is a turnkey system that relieves the nursing staff from the first day of commissioning. This structured approach minimizes the friction losses that normally arise when introducing new technologies in sensitive areas such as care.

While service robots today primarily take over transport tasks, humanoid systems are increasingly coming into focus for more complex activities. In a Hamburg care facility, a humanoid robot (model Apptronik Apollo) has already been deployed for supporting activities for twelve weeks. These systems are able to move in environments that are difficult to access for classic wheeled robots and, thanks to their human-like kinematics, can take on tasks that require greater flexibility. werob continuously observes and ranks these developments in the Supplier Match.

The use of humanoids is not an end in itself but follows the logic of maximum relief. When a system is able to make beds or move heavy objects at ergonomically unfavorable heights, the physical strain on staff drops massively. werob ensures that these advanced systems too are seamlessly integrated into the Cockpit and the regulatory framework. The experiences from the Hamburg pilot project show that acceptance among staff is high when the benefit is immediately tangible. Humanoids are not a substitute for human attention but a tool to create the space for this attention in the first place.

werob's commercial model differs fundamentally from classic investment models. Instead of demanding high sums for hardware and licenses in advance, the model is based on the outcome achieved. Operators pay for the performance delivered and the operational availability of the systems. This model forces werob as an integrator to deploy only solutions that function durably and stably. There are no hidden costs for maintenance or integration, as these are part of the operational layer.

For care facilities, this means a high degree of planning security. The monthly costs of operating the robot fleet are in direct proportion to the cost relief achieved, of up to significant amounts per year. Should a system not deliver the specified performance, the werob Cockpit intervenes to fix the fault or to swap the hardware via the Supplier Match. This model also enables smaller providers to enter state-of-the-art robotics without massive own capital and to benefit immediately from the efficiency gains. It is the consistent implementation of a partner-based automation strategy.