Excellence in patient care is achieved through the very latest in technological advancements such as assistive robots. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the use of assistive robots in various health care settings. The article includes a discussion of the strengths and limitations for noninteractive and interactive robots in health care and a summary of the implications for practice.
Allison, B., & Nejat, G. (2008, August). An expressive socially assistive robot for health-care applications. Paper presented at the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Brooklyn, NY , DETC2008-50082.
2.
Blavier, A., Gaudissart, Q., Cadiere, G.-B., & Nyssen, A.-S. (2007). Comparison of learning curves and skill transfer between classical and robotic laparoscopy according to the viewing conditions: implications for training. American Journal of Surgery, 194(1), 115-121.
3.
Blow, M., Dautenhahn, K., Appleby, A., Nehaniv, C.L., Lee D. C. (2006, September). Perception of robot smiles and dimensions for human-robot interaction design. In Proceedings of the 15th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN06), Hatfield, UK (pp. 469-474). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
4.
Cagigas, D., & Abascal, J. (2004). Hierarchical path search with partial materialization of costs for a smart wheelchair. Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, 39(4), 409-431.
5.
Casalini, S., Dalle Mura, G., Sica, M.L., Fornai, A., Ferro, M., Pioggia, G., et al. (2006). Human-robot interaction in autism. Workshop on Ethics of Human Interaction with Robotic, Bionic, and AI Systems Concepts and Policies.
6.
Coote, S., Stokes, E., Murphy, B., & Harwin, W. (2003, April 23-25). The effect of GENTLE/s robot-mediated therapy on upper extremity dysfunction post stroke. Paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, Human-Friendly Welfare Robot System Engineering Research Center, Daejeon, Korea.
7.
Coradeschi, S., Ishiguro, H., Asada, M., Shapiro, S.C., Thielscher, M., Breazeal, C., et al. (2006) Human-inspired robots. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 21(4), 74-85.
8.
Daly, J.J., Hogan, N., Perepezko, E.M., Krebs, H.I., Rogers, J.M., Goyal, K.S., et al. (2005). Response to upper-limb robotics and functional neuromuscular stimulation following stroke. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 42(6), 723-736.
9.
Dautenhahn, K., & Billard, A. (2002, March). Games children with autism can play with robota, a humanoid robotics doll. Paper presented at the Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology.
10.
Dautenhahn, K., Woods, S., Kaouri, C., Walters, M., Koay, K.L., & Werry, I. (2005, August). What is a robot companion-friend, assistant or butler? In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Edmonton , Canada (pp.1488-1493). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
11.
Driessen, B.J., Evers, H.G., & Woerden, J. A. van. (2001). MANUS- a wheelchair-mounted rehabilitation robot. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part H-Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 215(3), 285-290.
12.
Dubowsky, S., Genot, F., Godding, S., Kozono, H., Skwersky, A., Yu, H., et al. (2000, April). PAMM-A robotic aid to the elderly for mobility assistance and monitoring: A "helping-hand" for the elderly. Paper presented at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, CA.
13.
Fanin, C., Gallina, P., Rossi, A., Zanatta, U., & Masiero, S. (April 23-25, 2003). NeReBot: A wire-based robot for neurorehabilitation . Paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, Human-Friendly Welfare Robot System Engineering Research Center, Daejeon, Korea.
14.
Graf, B., Hans, M., & Schraft, R.D. (2004a). Care-O-bot II-development of a next generation robotic home assistant. Autonomous Robots, 16, 193-205.
15.
Graf, B., Hans, M., & Schraft, R.D. (2004b). Mobile robot assistants. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 11(2), 67-77.
16.
Heerink, M., Kröse, B., Wielinga, B., & Evers, V. (2006). Human-robot user studies in eldercare: Lessons learned. Assistive Technology Research Series, 19, 31-38.
17.
Hegel, F., Lohse, M., Swadzba, A., Wachsmuth, S., Rohlfing, K., & Wrede, B. (2007, August) Classes of applications for social robots: A user study. In Proceedings of the 16th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication, Jeju, Korea (pp. 938-943). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
18.
Herron, D.M., Marohn, M., & The SAGES-MIRA Robotic Surgery Consensus Group. (2008). A consensus document on robotic surgery . Surgical Endoscopy, 22, 313-325.
19.
Hesse, S., Schulte-Tigges, G., Konrad, M., Bardeleben, A., & Werner, C. (2003). Robot-assisted arm trainer for the passive and active practice of bilateral forearm and wrist movements in hemiparetic subjects . Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 84(6), 915-920.
20.
Hinds, P., Roberts, T., & Jones, H. (2004). Whose job is it anyway? A study of human-robot interaction in a collaborative task. Human-Computer Interaction , 19, 151-181.
21.
Kahn, L.E., Lum, P.S., Rymer, W.Z., & Reinkensmeyer, D.J. (2006). Robot-assisted movement training for the stroke-impaired arm: Does it matter what the robot does? Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 43(5), 619-630.
22.
Kang, K., Freedman, S., Mataric, M.J., Cunningham, M.J., & Lopez, B. (2005, June). A hands-off physical therapy assistance robot for cardiac patients. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, Chicago, IL (pp. 337-340). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
23.
Kiesler, S., & Sproull, L. (1997). `Social' human-computer interaction. In B. Friedman (Ed.), Human values and the design of computer technology (pp. 191-199). Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications, Cambridge University Press.
24.
Koda, T., & Maes, P. (1996, November). Agents with faces: The effect of personification . In Proceedings of the IEEE International Workshop on Robot and Human Communication, Tsukuba, Japan (pp. 189-194). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
25.
Krebs, H.I., Hogan, N., Volpe, B.T., Aisen, M.L., Edelstein, L., & Diels, C. (1999). Overview of clinical trials with MIT-MANUS: A robot-aided neuro-rehabilitation facility. Technology & Health Care, 7(6), 419-423.
26.
Krebs, H.I., Volpe, B.T., Williams, D., Celestino, J., Charles, S.K., Lynch, D., et al. (2007). Robot-aided neurorehabilitation: A robot for wrist rehabilitation. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering, 15(3), 327-335.
27.
Lehman, D. (2002). It's pharma-bot! Robotics manufacturers aim to revolutionize hospital pharmacies. Health Facilities Management , 15(9), 26-28.
28.
Libin, A., & Libin, E. (2004) Person-robot interaction from the robopsychologists point of view: The robotic psychology and robotherapy approach. Proceedings of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers , 92, 1789-1803.
29.
Lum, P.S., Burgar, C.G., Shor, P.C., Majmundar, M., & Van der Loos, M. (2002). Robot-assisted movement training compared with conventional therapy techniques for the rehabilitation of upper-limb motor function after stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 83(7), 952-959.
30.
Marecik, S.J., Chaudhry, V., Jan, A., Pearl, R.K., Park, J.J., & Prasad, L.M. (2007). A comparison of robotic, laparoscopic, and hand-sewn intestinal sutured anastomoses performed by residents. American Journal of Surgery, 193(3), 349-355; discussion 355.
31.
Masiero, S., Celia, A., Rosati, G., & Armani, M. (2007). Robotic-assisted rehabilitation of the upper limb after acute stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , 88(2), 142-149.
32.
McKesson HBOC Inc. (2008). Pharmacy automation [electronic version]. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://www.mckesson.com/en_us/McKesson.com/For%2BPharmacies/Inpatient/Pharmacy%2BAutomation/Pharmacy%2BAutomation.html
33.
Montemerlo, M., Pineau, J., Roy, N., Thrun, S., & Verma, V. (2002). Experiences with a mobile robotic guide for the elderly. Proceedings of the National Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Edmonton, Canada, 18, 587-592.
34.
NEC (2004). Personal robot PaPeRo . Retrieved April 1, 2008, from http://www.incx.nec.co.jp/robot/PaPeRo/english/p_index.html
35.
Nejat, G., Allison, B., Gomez, N., & Rosenfeld, A. (2007, November). The design of an interactive socially assistive robot for patient care. Paper presented at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Expo, Seattle, WA, IMECE2007-41811.
36.
Nejat, G., & Ficocelli, M. (2008, May). Can I be of assistance? The intelligence behind an assistive robot. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Pasadena, CA (pp. 3564-3569). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
37.
Prange, G.B., Jannink, M.J.A., Groothuis-Oudshoorn, C.G.M., Hermens, H.J., & Ijzerman, M.J. (2006). Systematic review of the effect of robot-aided therapy on recovery of the hemiparetic arm after stroke . Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 43(2), 171-184.
38.
Reddy, R. (2006), Robotics and intelligent systems in support of society. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 21(3), 24-31.
39.
Riener, R., Nef, T., & Colombo, G. (2005). Robot-aided neurorehabilitation of the upper extremities . Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 43(1), 2-10.
40.
Robbins, J.V. (2001). Nuts, bolts and brains. It takes a hefty investment, but medical robotics is moving from sci-fi to reality. Hospitals & Health Networks, 75(2), 48-50.
41.
Roy, N., Baltus, G., Fox, D., Gemperle, F., Goetz, J., Hirsch, T., et al. (2000). Towards personal service robots for the elderly. Paper presented at the workshop on Interactive Robotics and Entertainment (WIRE), Pittsburgh, PA.
42.
Samadi, D., Levinson, A., Hakimi, A., Shabsigh, R., & Benson, M.C. (2007). From proficiency to expert, when does the learning curve for robotic-assisted prostatectomies plateau? The Columbia University experience. World Journal of Urology, 25(1), 105-110.
43.
Sato, M., Sugiyama, A., & Ohnaka, S. (2006, January) Auditory system in a personal robot, PaPeRo . In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics (pp. 19-20). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
44.
Satou, Y. (2007). Development of an intelligent electric wheelchair equipped with an omni-directional stereo camera system [Electronic Version] . AIST today, 7, 26-27. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/aist_today/2007_24/hot_line/hot_line_13_2.html
45.
Shibata, T. (2004). An overview of human interactive robots for psychological enrichment. Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 92(11), 1749-1758.
46.
Shibata, T., Tashima, T., & Tanie, K. (1999, May). Emergence of emotional behavior through physical interaction between human and robot. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, Detroit, MI (pp. 2868-2873). Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.
47.
Shibata, T., Wada, K., Saito, T., & Tanie, K. (2001, October). Robot assisted activity for senior people at day service center. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology in Mechatronics, Istanbul, Turkey (pp. 71-76).
48.
Simpson, R.C. (2005). Smart wheelchairs: A literature review. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 42(4), 423-436.
49.
Spenko, M., Yu, H., & Dubowsky, S. (2006). Robotic personal aids for mobility and monitoring for the elderly. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering, 14(3), 344-351.
50.
Takeuchi, A., & Naito, T. (1995, May). Situated facial displays: Towards social interaction, human factors in computing systems. In the Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , Denver, CO, (pp. 450-455). New York: ACM/SIGCHI.
51.
Toth, A., Fazekas, G., Arz, G., Jurak, M., & Horvath, M. (2005, June 28-July 1, 2005). Passive robotic movement therapy of the spastic hemiparetic arm with REHAROB: Report of the first clinical test and the follow-up system improvement. Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics , Chicago, IL.
52.
Volpe, B.T., Ferraro, M., Lynch, D., Christos, P., Krol, J., Trudell, C., et al. (2004). Robotics and other devices in the treatment of patients recovering from stroke. Current Atherosclerosis Reports, 6(4), 314-319.
53.
White House Press (n.d.). Promoting innovation and competitiveness, President Bush's technology agenda. Retrieved August 31, 2006, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/technology/economic_policy200404/chap3.html
54.
Yanco, H. (1998). Wheelesley, a robotic wheelchair system: Indoor navigation and user interface. In V. Mittal , H. Yanco, J. Aronis & R. Simpson (Eds.), Lecture notes in artificial intelligence: Assistive technology and artificial intelligence: Applications in robotics, user interfaces and natural language processing (Vol. 1458, pp. 256-268). Heidelburg, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
55.
Zorn, K.C., Orvieto, M.A., Gong, E.M., Mikhail, A.A., Gofrit, O.N., Zagaja, G.P., et al. (2007). Robotic radical prostatectomy learning curve of a fellowship-trained laparoscopic surgeon. Journal of Endourology, 21(4), 441-447.