Mediclinic Winelands recently had some unusual helpers on the floor…assistant robots!
Stellenbosch, South Africa (28 January 2026) – Stellies’ engineering students are building cool robots again! This time, seven final-year Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering students from the university showcased their final projects at the Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital.
The brief was to design floor-bound robotic assistants that could autonomously navigate clinical spaces, avoid obstacles and deliver essential items within a hospital environment.
“The showcase formed part of a competition sponsored by the Institute of Orthopaedics and Rheumatology (IOR), highlighting the growing role of engineering innovation in healthcare delivery,” shares the university.
University laboratories were closed due to departmental renovations, so many of the students had to design and build large parts of their robots from home. Despite tricky limitations, they showed up with fully-functioning prototypes that earned three of the sevens students awards!
Hospital staff acted as judges who were able share valuable experience-based insights into the demands of a healthcare environment.
“Prize winners were Arno Scholtz Zulch (first prize), Matthew Barnes-Webb (second prize) and Andre Nieuwoudt (third prize). Also present at the event were Regardo Scholtz, General Hospital Manager of Mediclinic Winelands, and Dr Franz Birkholtz, Orthopaedic Surgeon and CEO of Mediclinic Winelands.” shares the university.
The real win was seeing young South African engineers apply their skills to build tools that could one day ease workloads for hospital staff and improve patient care.
“The event celebrated student excellence while strengthening collaboration between Stellenbosch University and the healthcare sector, demonstrating how Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering solutions can directly support patient care and clinical efficiency.”
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