A pharmacy will be the first in the Netherlands to start using digital assistant 'Alicia' in the form of a hologram next month. The pharmacy hologram at Stroomz Strijp pharmacy in Eindhoven can answer questions and explain how to apply an ointment, for example. When the hologram can’t provide an answer, the patient can still talk to a real pharmacy assistant. She will be standing by in a studio and can answer questions remotely and on screen. The hologram Alicia looks like a real person, but she is computer-generated.
Except for the hologram, the Eindhoven pharmacy is otherwise unmanned. The pharmacy hologram is a so-called "deepfake. The hologram Alicia looks like a real person, but she was conceived and created by computer. "We looked at what many conversations are about. We worked out those most common conversations and now the digital assistant talks to you from a box," says manager Pim Poels of Stroomz pharmacies. Should the care question be privacy-sensitive, there is a separate consultation room for that. This can be opened remotely after which the conversation can continue via a screen.
Different languages
The advantage is that the hologram can be programmed in different languages. Eindhoven now has residents with 189 different backgrounds. Poels says that's why the staff has already been able to take a course in English. Not every visitor speaks English, but the hologram is also good for them. So far, the hologram speaks Dutch, English, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic. The intention is that Google translate will ensure that the conversation is subtitled in any desired language. In this way, a remote assistant can still follow someone speaking in another language.
Holoconnects, the maker of the Holobox, developed this technology for medical experts, among others, to make it easier for them to work from a distance. Recently, the Holobox has been tested in several places, such as the World Trade Center Amsterdam.
Eindhoven is growing
Especially now that ASML wants to expand by 20,000 employees, the municipality's population is growing in the future. This growth will have an impact on healthcare services. More reason for the pharmacy to come up with a plan for this. "I can't get enough staff to keep that location staffed. This way they are still there when you have a question," Poels says.
In early July, the pharmacy diagonally across from the Evoluon will be converted. The eight thousand customers received a letter about this on Tuesday. There will be three take-out vending machines. A standard vending machine, a machine for medicines that must be refrigerated and a machine for larger packages. It will also remain possible to have medications delivered to your home.
Medication robot
Pharmacy is increasingly turning to technology for help. For example, last summer in Alkmaar at pharmacy De Hoef, the largest medication robot in the Netherlands "went to work. Pharmacist Jonathan Visser is very enthusiastic about it, as the machine provides efficiency and convenience. He is not afraid that it will become impersonal in the pharmacy, because pharmacy staff get more time for service and explanations. Customers are mostly happy with this development because now, with the help of a text message code and without waiting times, they can pull their medication out of the wall 24/7.
