Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the effectiveness of an upper-limb robotic therapy that is based on the use of MANUS for
improving motor outcomes among chronic stroke patients. The results showed positive
benefits in trials with people who had moderate impairments, but also among severely
impaired chronic stroke patients (Krebs et al. 2004).
13.5.3 Socially Assistive robotics Systems
This section describes robotic devices for assisting elderly people. Assistive technolo-
gies that are based on robotic platforms may play an important role both in the reha-
bilitation domain and social assistance area. In the first case, the systems described in
Section 13.5.2 offer support that is based on physical interaction (intelligent wheelchairs,
artificial limbs, etc.). Socially assistive robots may be perceived as social entities that com-
municate with the user through social interaction. Social robots are divided into service
robots (telepresence systems, reminding and monitoring) and companion robots. Some
of these systems are available as trade products whereas others are still under develop-
ment. Studies on socially assistive robots describe several devices for the maintenance of
personal autonomy in terms of support for basic activities of daily living (eating, bathing,
toileting, and dressing), the mobility of people (including shipping), and environmental
and personal monitoring. Examples of these robots are “nursebot Pearl,” which includes
a system of reminders (e.g., medication, appointments in the program), telepresence (to
allow the medical personnel and operators to interact remotely with a senior person who
lives alone), and monitoring (for systematic supervising of the activity/health status of the
person). Pearl is also a personal assistant and a social interaction system that facilitates
contact with others (Pollack et al. 2003). The I-Cat robot is a robot cat that shows differ-
ent facial expressions as an index of emotions. The studies on I-Cat focused on aspects of
social interaction between older people and robots and on the effects of I-Cat behavior
on its acceptance by elderly people (van Breemen et al. 2005). Through Care-O-Bot, older
users can control lighting, heating, and air conditioning in their own homes and they can
get in touch with a doctor or relatives. The Care-O-Bot robot is a mobile robotic home
assistant designed to perform household tasks, media management, daytime manage-
ment (e.g., time for medicine), the supervision of vital signs, and make emergency calls. It
has the ability to guide a person around the house whilst avoiding obstacles and operates
safely and reliably in different environments. The latest prototype, Care-O-Bot II, also
has manipulator abilities that make it a more efficient assistant in the tasks of daily liv-
ing (Graf et al. 2004). The Italian project RoboCare has developed an intelligent prototype
system integrating robotic, sensory, and software agents to create innovative services for
an elderly person at home. Its key feature is the ability to maintain continuity of behavior,
such as ensuring the continuous monitoring of the state of an assisted elder and of his/
her domestic context, creating a context at the knowledge level around the actions that
the assisted person performs, and providing contextualized interaction services aimed at
proactive assistance for the assisted older adult (Cesta et al. 2003). Part of the research in
RoboCare focused on an evaluation of elderly people's perception of assistive robots. The
results showed how the acceptability of robotic devices in the home setting does not only
depend on the practical benefits they can provide, but also on the complex relationships
among cognitive, affective, and emotional components of people's images of a robot. The
RP-7 In-Touch Health platform is a telepresence device that allows patients to be moni-
tored remotely. Patients can see and hear their doctor in real time through a video-screen
and speaker system. Patients prefer to see their doctor, even through a robot. Health-care
professionals can make decisions based on vital signs transmitted in real time by visiting
