so that they can connect to the robot and move around the office with it to interact, see and be seen by their co-workers and attend meetings or informal gatherings.

Using a smartphone or tablet with an internet connection, the professional can remotely connect to the robot via an application that allows them to guide it with very simple touch controls, similar to driving a remote-controlled vehicle. To expand the number of potential users of the APR (Analytics and Practice Guided Robot), it is planned that in the near future it will also be controllable via HeadMouse, the virtual mouse also developed by the University of Lleida (UdL), which allows for simple head movements and some facial gestures.

In addition to being able to move around the office with the robot, thanks to a mobile videoconferencing system, the worker can hear and be heard, see through his camera and be seen by his colleagues through his screen.

In this way, the APR aims to become a workplace integration tool that allows a person with a physical disability who cannot be physically present in their office to have mobile telepresence, helping them with teamwork and maintaining relationships with their colleagues. Therefore, its design has also been tailored to generate a certain level of empathy and acceptance of the robot among those who see it.

With a technical autonomy of six hours of continuous operation, the APR integrates technologies from fields as diverse as smartphones, machine vision, robot-machine interaction, and computer networks. All of these have been shaped and adapted to develop the concept of this new robotic tool designed to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Among the challenges addressed are the design of the APR system's drive system to ensure agile and dynamic movement of the mobile robot in an office environment; the system's mechanical design; the definition and implementation of the movement control system; and the APR's remote control system. Furthermore, a safety mechanism has been implemented in the robot that forces it to stop if an imminent collision with a person or object is anticipated. This mechanism operates "subconsciously," meaning that even if the APR program intends to continue moving, the robot will ultimately stop.

Although the robot is not yet ready for commercialization, the concept of telepresence and its functionalities have been tested and validated, and operational tests have been developed under real-world conditions in a university environment, very similar to an office environment.

Example of collaboration

The APR is the result of an R&D project developed over the last two years by researchers from the UdL, led by Professor Jordi Palacín, within the framework of the Indra-Adecco Foundation Chair of Accessible Technologies, which aims to develop new and innovative solutions and services, based on technology, that facilitate the social and labor integration of people with disabilities.

During the presentation ceremony, the Rector of the University of Lleida, Roberto Fernández, the Director of Indra in Catalonia, Manel Brufau, and the President of the Adecco Foundation, José María Echevarría, reaffirmed their commitment to the social responsibility that this Chair represents and expressed their satisfaction with the positive results it is achieving.

The new robot joins other successful technological solutions developed, such as the HeadMouse virtual mouse and the VirtualKeyboard virtual keyboard, both free and open-source, which have already been downloaded more than 450,000 times in 95 countries worldwide. Also being developed within the framework of the Chair is the REM project, a hardware device similar to glasses that connects directly to a computer via USB and allows cursor movement to be controlled solely by eye movements.

All these tools, available to society and companies, are the result of a university-business collaboration model initiated in 2008, which has been the benchmark for Indra's launch of new Chairs of Accessible Technologies and projects, both in Spain and in Latin America, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and its commitment to innovation.

Indra has recently launched a new version of its website, where you can access information about the Chairs and the various projects and tools developed in this field.