Page 143 - 2023-Vol19-Issue2
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139 | Sabeeh & Alfurati
Our public healthcare systems had to be reevaluated in that operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services
light of the COVID-19 pandemic and made more adaptable useful to the well-being of humans and equipment, excluding
to shifting end-user trends and needs. Consequently, medi- industrial automation applications” [17].
cal robots may no longer be viewed as an alternative but as
an advancement in the standard of medical care [10] [11]. As the phrase ”Service Robot” has evolved, the conver-
Moreover, there has been relatively little in-depth research gence of the service and industrial sectors has introduced
into medical service robotics. Therefore, it is critical to fo- some degrees of haziness in its definition. For instance, indus-
cus on the critical robotic technologies employed to fight the trial automation devices utilize mobile robots and automated
pandemic and to predict future research trends [12]. guided vehicles (AGV) while service robots are mostly em-
ployed in new environments such as hospitals [18].
This study investigates the use of service robots in the
healthcare sector, emphasising those that can benefit patients, There are numerous challenges in the domain of health-
medical personnel, customers, and organisations during the care robots, such as the continuous phobia of robots taking
pandemic. The present study also focuses on things of in- the place of humans, thereby causing job losses [19]. Hence,
creasing importance, such as hospital sanitary procedures, the promotion of positive views and acceptance of medical
ensuring provision of patients’ supplies, reducing mistakes, service robots requires public engagement initiatives that will
and monitoring patients remotely. introduce and train healthcare personnel on how to operate
these robots [1]. Additionally, the visibility of healthcare
The rest of this article is organized thus: Section II is an robots should be increased by making them available in ev-
overview of healthcare service robots. Section III describes eryday settings [17]. On the one hand, medical service robots
the several types of robots that have been implemented in the can ease the stress on healthcare workers by aiding them with
healthcare sector. Section IV discusses the research directions, daily tasks, giving them more time to focus on higher-priority
and finally Section V outlines the conclusion of the study and jobs. The greater employment of service robots could lead to
the research limitations. decreased person-to-person contact among patients. This is
more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic since deliberate
II. A REVISIT OF HEALTHCARE SERVICE measures have been taken to reduce person-to-person contact,
despite the resulting patient isolation [20].
ROBOTS
Another major concern with medical service robots is reli-
The section is focused on the service robots that have been ability; as they interact with humans, service robots require
developed for specific use in the healthcare sector. A medi- detailed safety features as well as the internet that can handle
cal service robot is described as one that performs duties in the problems associated with remote communication, such as
medical and clinical settings in either semi-automatic or fully data breaches and unauthorised access. In addition to safety,
automatic modes. Even though service robotics is still in its there must be efforts to ensure no generation of false negative
early stages, it is expected that by the coming few years, 38 or positive results when using service robots to detect or diag-
billion USD will be spent on highly qualified service robots nose ailments because this could be a significant risk to public
to help healthcare workers [13]. This is because robots will health [21] [22]. As a result, there is a need for sustained
not only make healthcare workers’ jobs easier, but they will technological improvement in sensor and actuator develop-
also facilitate difficult tasks that need to be performed [14]. ment. In addition, more studies should focus on human-deep
learning interaction.
In 1993, the first definition of a service robot was provided
by the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering The following sections describe in detail the state-of-the-
and Automation (Fraunhofer IPA). The institute defined a ser- art of various types of medical care robots.
vice robot as ”a freely programmable kinematic device that
performs services semi- or fully automatically.” Services are III. TYPES OF MEDICAL ROBOTS.
defined as ”tasks that do not contribute to the industrial man-
ufacturing of things but are the execution of valuable labour Robotics in medicine and healthcare has progressed well
for persons and equipment” [15]. Since the first definition of beyond its humble beginnings in the operating room more
service robots by the Fraunhofer IPA, many definitions have than 30 years ago. Nowadays, robots can be employed to
been suggested; for instance, the International Standardization assist in a variety of medical fields as discussed below.
Organization defined a service robot as ”a robot that performs
useful tasks for humans or equipment, excluding industrial A. Examination Robot
automation applications” [16]. The International Federation Robotics may first be used during patient testing, when it
of Robotics emphasized the level of autonomy of the robot in
their definition by suggesting that a service robot is ”a robot may check for COVID-19 symptoms [12]. For instance, an
oropharyngeal swab robot may be developed for the collection
