This chapter introduces background information on healthcare requirements and existing soft healthcare robots, and also identifies the critical issues in developing such robots. The main incentives for the usage of soft robotic devices for healthcare applications can be summarised as: their ability to reduce physical workload of physiotherapists, intrinsic compliance for safe patient-robot interaction, light weight, objective assessment and rehabilitation from built-in sensors, and great potential in making wearable devices. Some typical examples of existing soft robots used in the field of healthcare applications are presented to give readers an intuitive understanding. The key challenges in the design and control of soft healthcare robots are also discussed in the chapter.

Chapter Contents:

• 1.1 Healthcare requirements
• 1.2 Soft robots for healthcare applications
• 1.2.1 Definition of soft robots
• 1.2.2 Examples of soft robots for healthcare
• 1.2.3 Motivation of soft robots for healthcare
• 1.3 Critical issues in developing soft robots for healthcare
• 1.3.1 Acceptance of healthcare robots
• 1.3.2 Soft actuators
• 1.3.3 Modelling and control of soft actuators
• 1.4 Book outline
• 1.5 Summary
• References

Inspec keywords: patient rehabilitation; human-robot interaction; medical robotics; health care

Other keywords: rehabilitation; objective assessment; built-in sensors; healthcare applications; soft healthcare robots; soft robotic devices; wearable devices; patient-robot interaction

Subjects: Human-robot interaction; Patient care and treatment; Biological and medical control systems; Robotics; Patient care and treatment