When the Bell Rings, Clear the Way
■ Carrying on as usual can block an evacuation
The fire alarm went off, and Takasugi ran to get patients ready to evacuate. Hakobukun said, "Delivering an IV drip to the 5th floor," and headed for the elevator as always. The sign read "Out of Service." Hakobukun kept waiting anyway, standing right in the middle of the people evacuating. Takasugi, pushing a wheelchair, could not get through.
■ In a fire, the corridor turns from a delivery route into an escape route
During a fire, elevators stop and corridors fill with people evacuating. A path that normally carries supplies becomes a path for people to escape. A robot that keeps trying to make deliveries there becomes a major obstacle. In a hospital, some patients are moved in wheelchairs or in their beds. A gap wide enough for one person may not be enough.
■ Conclusion: When the bell rings, pull over and stop
Shiraishi added a behavior: when the fire alarm rings, go into a nearby empty room and stop. At the next drill, Hakobukun slipped into an empty room and stopped, saying, "When the bell rings, I clear the way." A way to receive the alarm, and a place to pull over and stop. Decide these two things in normal times, and in an emergency the robot can drop its task and clear the way for people.
In an emergency, a robot's most important job is to step aside and stay still.
