Oak Hammock’s robot, Oakley, serving residents for more than a year

Oak Hammock’s robot, Oakley, has been serving drinks, stimulating conversation, delivering dessert and creating smiles making life a little easier for the residents and team members of the community. He runs between one and two miles per day, as a well-trained, prompt, expedient server in the Oak Hammock dining department.

About a year ago, Oak Hammock residents and leadership in the culinary services and information technology departments decided that it was time to embrace the idea of robotics in senior living.

Society is already seeing vast advances in robotics development across many industries worldwide. The usage of robotics, especially in food service, has helped with things like customer experience, operational efficiency and lower expense. The field of robotics in senior living is evolving to include items and services like robotic companion animals and dolls, emergency and safety detection devices, medication dispensers and personal care assistance, to name a few.

The global market for elder care assistive robots was estimated at 2.53 billion in 2023 and projected to grow at 15% from 2024 to 2030. The anticipated increase in assistive robots is due, in part, to the increase in geriatric population and the market for additional interactive robot uses is unlimited.

For example, Hongwu Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the PHHP department of occupational therapy and Director of the Technology for Occupational Performance, or TOP, lab, is working with engineer collaborators on field studies related to human-robot interactions to build the next generation of more user-friendly for individuals with vision, hearing and mobility impairments.  

During lunch time at Oak Hammock, Oakley runs food to and from the café, brings dirty dishes to the kitchen and brings supplies to various areas of the campus. He saves team members approximately 190 trips per week.

Oakley can carry 15-20 pounds a load and has three levels to carry, which means less walking and lifting for staff. He also stimulates a lot of conversation while humming little tunes as he glides from one area of campus to another. He’s often dressed in his Gator gear during football games, and residents refer to him as “our faithful employee!” Oakley even has a “butler” mode that will let it circulate a room during an event to offer refreshments. While he’s hard at work, team members have more time to spend interacting with residents and providing excellent customer service.

As robots become more prevalent in senior living communities around the country, Oak Hammock is seeing the benefit clearly. After just one year, Oakley already has a sister robot in another area of campus, performing similar duties.