Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Stephen Von Rump has dedicated his career to advancing assistive technologies that empower older adults to live independently and remain socially connected. His core research lies at the intersection of ambient assisted living, social robotics, and telepresence systems, with a particular focus on developing integrated monitoring platforms. Von Rump is best known for his central role in the GiraffPlus project, a pioneering European initiative that combined environmental sensors, physiological monitoring, and a mobile robotic telepresence system to provide adaptive, long-term support for ageing individuals. His foundational 2013 paper on the system has garnered over 130 citations, while his subsequent 2014 work detailing the integration of activity and physiological monitoring has been cited 85 times. Von Rump also made significant contributions to the ExCITE project, where he helped evaluate the Giraff telepresence robot over 42 months, demonstrating its robustness as a tool for reducing social isolation among the elderly. His work on developing methodologies for the longitudinal evaluation of such systems, cited 39 times, has helped establish best practices for the field. Through these efforts, Von Rump has been instrumental in proving that robots can be effectively placed "in the loop" of daily care, creating tangible improvements in quality of life for an ageing population.