Healthcare Robot Technology Development

Abstract

The interest in a healthy and happy life for seniors has increased of late as the quality of life in old age has become a hot issue. Moreover, the interest in health has led industrial companies to concentrate on healthcare technology. Healthcare robot technology is one of the biggest issues in the robotics field, and many companies and institutes have sought to develop a healthcare robot technology. The healthcare robot must have certain abilities that would allow it to help a person mentally and/or physically. There is no common interface module, however, for healthcare robot platforms, and few robots that have healthcare abilities exist. Therefore, developing a common interface technology and applying the technology to robot platforms can pave the way for the development of a technology that could improve the physical and mental health of humans. This paper introduces the authors’ research on a common interface module and a healthcare service robot platform. First, a common interface module is one that can be used in common in the healthcare robot area. The research on a common interface module contains the following technologies: biosignal processing modules; voice signal processing modules, which could recognize voice commands; control modules for robot actuators; and a human-friendly design for a healthcare system. Lastly, the research on a healthcare service robot platform contains three types of robot platforms: ChairBot for relaxation, RideBot for exercising, and LifecareBot for human emotions. Each robot platform has common interface modules for healthcare services and can provide specialized intelligent services based on their own objectives. In conclusion, the intellectual healthcare robot is expected to promote a new field and to pave the way for a new product.