Mylo the robot is Birr bound!

The firm behind the proposed re-development of Birr Workhouse have revealed their plans for the site – and they centre around a miniature robot designed to help people living with dementia. 

Castle Rook Ltd, who purchased the site in early 2018, aim to apply for planning permission early next year to develop a state-of-the-art care facility for people with dementia on the historic site. 
The proposed facility will cater for up to 70 residents, each of whom will have a robot companion to assist in their care. The 'Mylo' robot can monitor heart rate, issue reminders, and detect if a resident has fallen. 

Managing Director of Castle Rook, Candace Lafleur, says the Birr facility will showcase how robotics can encourage independent living for those living with dementia. 
“Mylo is the reason we are getting into the care industry, as we believe using robotics increases the quality of care and quality of living, while reducing the cost of care,” she told the Offaly Independent.
“Our main focus at the moment is to get the robotics right. We have taken a year to perfect the robotics, and are hoping to submit our application for planning permission to Offaly County Council in February 2020.”
The proposed care facility will be more “dementia village” than nursing home, she says, where residents will not be on a strict schedule but will enjoy the freedom to spend their days however they prefer. Each resident will have an apartment of their own including a cooking area, dining area, sleeping area, and couch, making them spacious enough to host family and friends comfortably.
In recent months, Candace and her team have been renting the robots out to families for use in private homes, and have received very positive feedback. 
“If someone falls in their home, Mylo can initiate an emergency call to their family; he can give prompts about food or hydration. The robots would function in a similar way in the nursing home, but linked with the care team. They are not designed to replace people, but rather as a care assistant’s assistant,” she explains.
A pre-planning meeting was held with Offaly County Council in March 2018 to outline the plans for the facility, which include the development of a museum and a café on the women’s section of the workhouse. 
Candace says they would like to also include a daycare facility, to create community through an “inter-generational care model”. 
“The workhouse is an important part of local history and we want to honour that. While it has a dark history, we are keen to move it forward in a positive way,” she says. This will include collaborating with local schools and colleges to involve students interested in robotics in the project. 
While no works have taken place on the Birr site to date, security fences have been erected around the former workhouse, a portion of which was extensively damaged in a fire in August 2017.
Castle Rook are also working on developing similar facilities in Wicklow and Galway.