Feinfühlige, interaktive Roboter in Krankenhaus und Pflege: Wo stehen wir und wohin geht die Reise?

Thanks to modern lightweight robotic technology and safe physical human-robot interaction, an increasing number of robotic applications in healthcare are within reach. In this article we present some of the applications that have been developed in recent years or are currently being researched, with a particular focus on the developments related to the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Concerning the application areas, special attention will be paid to scenarios in hospitals, such as minimally invasive robotic surgery, wound debridement, and human-robot cooperation in support processes. Furthermore, several use cases from the field of healthcare will be illustrated such as intelligent service robotics, robotic wheelchairs and the technology of telepresence in general.