A group of Georgia Tech students called “The Green Team” partnered with A.G. Rhodes to demo Sprout, the horticultural therapy robot they created for their healthcare robotics class project. The team designed Sprout to help older adults with mobility issues care for their plants.
“I think it would be wonderful, especially if you have limited mobility with your upper extremities and have difficultly manipulating objects that would be required for watering and doing basic care for plants in the home,” said Kirk Hines, A.G. Rhodes Director of Horticultural Therapy.
The students demoed Sprout at A.G. Rhodes’ Atlanta and Wesley Woods locations and collected feedback from the residents.
“The residents provided valuable feedback including their opinions of the robot, how they would benefit from it, and additions they would like it to have including the ability to move plants to adjust for sunlight and to intelligently water plants using a moisture sensor,” said team member Joshua. He added, “This feedback was very helpful in understanding the impact the robot may have on the residents and how it could be improved!”
While the semester is over and the group project is complete, the team laid the groundwork for future classes to continue the project for research or other purposes. The students agreed it was a great experience.
“We were very thankful for having the opportunity to work with the residents and Kirk,” said team member Alejandro. “We learned a lot and enjoyed the horticultural therapy sessions.”
The Green Team’s professor was also happy with the project; the students got an A.
Watch Sprout in action in the video below.
May 2023