Kindai University Hospital commenced a demonstration experiment to examine the potential of avatar technology to support reception operations. The experiment is aimed at promoting digital transformation (DX) at medical institutions, improving patient convenience, and streamlining operations. In partnership with Avita Inc., which conducts avatar-related business, the Hospital will conduct the experiment until June 9. The Hospital receives approximately 2,200 outpatients and 750 inpatients per day on average. The number of patients that the reception area can serve is limited. Therefore, patients may have long wait times. There are also other issues, such as multilingual support.
In November 2025, Kindai University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine will relocate near Izumigaoka Station in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. The move offers an opportunity to realize a "smart hospital" through DX. As part of this initiative, the Hospital has decided to perform a demonstration experiment to unman the reception area. The experiment will be conducted in collaboration with Avita, a company that excels in AI technologies such as avatars and generative AI. The company has introduced avatar customer service to many companies and government bodies.
"AVACOM," the avatar customer service used in the demonstration experiment, is expected to streamline AI and remote customer service. Avatars are easier to talk to than people at times, and they are easy to ask advice from. Therefore, they are expected to reduce staff workload. They will also enable better-tailored services for patients and hospital visitors. In the demonstration experiment, visitors will follow the instructions shown on the display and speak into a microphone at the reception desk, and an avatar remotely operated by reception staff will respond. The experiment will verify the system's capability to provide quick and efficient service to patients. It will also test the system's ability to offer flexible responses and reduce the workload of medical staff.
In the future, in addition to using AI technology for general information and medical reception, the Hospital will use avatars that provide patients with surgery and hospitalization guidance to help medical professionals. To be the first university hospital to offer an unstaffed reception, the Hospital intends to promote DX in the medical field. In pursuit of the goal of realizing a smart hospital, the Hospital will endeavor to reduce patient waiting times, improve its services, practice advanced medicine, and reform the way doctors work.
This article has been translated by JST with permission from The Science News Ltd. (https://sci-news.co.jp/). Unauthorized reproduction of the article and photographs is prohibited.