Saline County students win Name the Robot competition

BENTON, Ark. (August 8, 2022) – Saline Health System announced on Thursday, Aug. 4 that its robotic surgery assistant has been named Nicki the Knee Fixer after the winning robot in the Name the Robot competition held this summer with Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County and the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant.

Jimi Farrow, 10, and Conner Newton, 9, from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Saline County in Benton built the winning robot and chose the name. A picture of the winners will be framed in the hospital’s surgery waiting room alongside a plaque with the robotic surgery assistant’s name. The winners also received robotics kits for them to continue learning about robotics.

“Great organizations coming together is always a WIN-WIN for our community,” said Krystal Askew, marketing and special events coordinator for Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County. “We are so grateful to Saline Memorial Hospital for the amazing opportunity and experience they provided our members this summer.”

Approximately 42 students at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Saline County (Riverside Club and Cedar Mountain Club) and Boys of Girls Club of Bryant built robots with education and materials provided by SeaCow Robotics, a youth robotics club.

Once the robots were completed, they were put on display in the hospital for employees to vote.  The names of the students and which club it originated from were not visible for employees during voting. Some participants from each club visited the hospital for the winner announcement and naming ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 4.

“We enjoyed partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs and SeaCow Robotics,” said Katie Lea, chief nursing officer at Saline Health System. “We saw this as a great way to encourage students to participate in STEAM projects and to potentially inspire future surgeons, engineers and scientists.”

Saline Health System and Arkansas Bone and Joint hosted the competition to commemorate the 100th knee replacement using the robotic surgery assistant on June 14.

“Robotic technology has transformed the way we perform surgery,” Lea said. “Robots, like our robotic surgery assistant, have not only led to less invasive surgical procedures but also helped improve clinical outcomes.”

Saline Memorial Hospital, a part of LifePoint Health, is a 177-bed acute care facility dedicated to making our communities healthier. The hospital is accredited through The Joint Commission for meeting quality and safety standards, the American College of Cardiology as a Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI, the MBSAQUIP as a bariatric surgery center and the AASM as a sleep center. For more information about Saline Memorial Hospital, please call 501.776.6000 or visit SalineMemorial.org. For more information about LifePoint Health, visit LifePointHealth.net.