Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong: GB1 Reception Robot for Guest Guidance and COVID-19 Education
Hospitals need to support visitors with more than one type of information. Guests may need help finding their destination, while healthcare facilities may also need to communicate important public health information in a clear and accessible way.
At Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, Novelte provided a GB1 reception robot with customised software designed to support both visitor guidance and COVID-19 education. The robot was configured as an interactive information point where guests could access educational content, take a COVID-19 quiz, play a themed mini game and use hospital guidance functions.
The project demonstrates how a hospital reception robot can be adapted to a specific operational and communication need rather than simply being deployed as a standard off-the-shelf robot.
The Challenge
A hospital reception environment serves visitors with different needs throughout the day.
Some guests require help navigating the hospital, while others may need access to information about healthcare services or public health topics. During the COVID-19 period, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong also had a need to promote COVID-19 and vaccination-related information in an engaging format.
The solution therefore needed to support more than basic reception functionality.
It had to provide visitors with an easy-to-use interactive interface while also fitting naturally into the hospital environment.
The Novelte Solution
Novelte provided a GB1 reception robot and developed customised software for the project.
Instead of relying only on the robot's standard functions, the user interface was configured specifically for the hospital application.
The customised software included:
COVID-19 and vaccination-related educational information
An interactive COVID-19 quiz
A COVID-themed mini game
Hospital guest guidance functions
By combining these functions within one platform, the GB1 could serve as both an interactive information point and a visitor guidance robot inside the hospital.
This customised approach allowed the robot to support the hospital's specific communication requirements rather than operating as a generic reception device.
How the Solution Works
Visitors interact with the GB1 through its touchscreen interface.
The customised homepage presents different options that guests can select depending on what they want to do. COVID-19-related content is presented through multiple formats, including educational information, an interactive quiz and a mini game.
This gives visitors different ways to engage with the information instead of relying entirely on static notices or printed materials.
The robot also supports guest guidance within the hospital, helping visitors access location-related assistance as part of the same interface.
Combining information and guidance functions in one robot creates a single interactive touchpoint for different visitor needs.
For Novelte, the project also illustrates an important part of robotic deployment: the hardware itself is only one component of the solution. The software interface, content and workflow need to be configured around how the client actually intends to use the robot.
Operational Value
The GB1 was used to provide an additional interactive service channel within the hospital environment.
Its role included supporting guest guidance while providing COVID-19 and vaccination-related content in a format that visitors could explore directly through the robot.
The customised software also demonstrates how a reception robot can be adapted for specific campaigns, educational initiatives or visitor communication requirements.
Rather than treating the robot as a standalone product, the project combined robot hardware with a customised software experience designed around the hospital's intended application.
No quantitative performance results were provided for this project, so the value of the deployment should be understood in terms of its operational role rather than measured improvements in manpower, cost or productivity.
What This Means for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities often need to manage visitor enquiries, navigation and information delivery at the same time.
A hospital reception robot can provide another digital touchpoint for these tasks.
Depending on the required workflow, potential applications may include:
Visitor and location guidance
Hospital service information
Health education content
Campaign or event information
Interactive quizzes and educational activities
Other customised visitor-facing digital experiences
The Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong project shows how a reception robot can be configured around a specific hospital use case rather than being limited to standard robot functions.
For healthcare operators exploring service robotics, this kind of deployment also highlights the importance of considering the full workflow — including the robot, user interface, content and visitor experience.
Exploring Robotics for Your Healthcare Facility?
Facing a similar visitor service or information delivery challenge?
Novelte works with organisations to evaluate operational requirements and configure robotic solutions around real workflows.
Talk to Novelte about your hospital or healthcare robotics requirements.