This is the ONCE robot to guide people with disabilities that will be marketed this year.

AccessRobots, the project developed by the ONCE Foundation, consisting of a series of robots to guide people with disabilities in large spaces such as airports, train stations, and shopping centers, will be marketed this year, once the testing phase has concluded and it has been successfully tested by more than 300 users.

The director of the R&D department at the ONCE Foundation, Almudena Alcaide, told Servimedia that "by the end of the summer, AccessRobots will have been tested by more than 300 users in various facilities such as Chamartín, in María Zambrano (Málaga), in the Arturo Soria shopping center (Madrid), and in Méndez Álvaro (Madrid bus station)."

All people with disabilities who have tried it "have expressed their satisfaction with AccessRobots for its ergonomics, safety, and the autonomy it provides , as well as for the potential they see in this technological development," Alcaide said.

AccessRobots encompasses a series of robots designed to work in airports, train stations, and shopping centers, but can also accompany people with disabilities in hospitals or, for example, at a tourist resort. It is also designed to facilitate mobility at trade fairs and conventions such as Ifema in Madrid or the Fira de Barcelona.

"AccessRobots are essential equipment in complex environments for people with disabilities: those who are blind or have low vision, those with hearing difficulties, or those who need help carrying luggage," explained the director of R&D at the ONCE Foundation.

This robotic assistant "can also help avoid anxiety and increase autonomy, as it prevents us from being uncertain about the route to our destination, our point of interest, our boarding gate, or our medical appointment."

It works through a free mobile app that allows you to book these escorts at locations where the robots have been deployed, indicating through the app where you want to use them, the day, and the time.

When designing AccessRobots, we took into account the input of users who have tested them, for example, in designing the robot's height, which allows it to be grasped by the user for easier tracking.

The development and creation of this project has taken approximately three years. "We're almost in the fourth year, and we hope to launch AccessRobots this year. We've worked hard from the first prototype to the final result," said Alcaide, who explained that it is being deployed at the Málaga María Zambrano train station as part of a pilot project.

The project has been recognized at the ARME Awards, presented by the Spanish Mobile Robotics Association (ARME). "The social impact of mobile robotics applied to this use case was one of the reasons for the award," Alcaide emphasized.

Companies or entities interested in offering it can do so for a price between 10,000 and 30,000 euros, depending on the type of robot, its size, and the facility where it will operate.