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Sensors and Robots for Healthcare
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Sensors and Robots for Healthcare

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensors and Robotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 12314

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jaeryoung Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Robotic Science and Technology, Chubu University, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
Interests: human–robot interaction; robots for autism therapy; human behavior analysis; social and affective robots; rehabilitation robotics; end-user-centered design; multimodal interaction analysis
Dr. Masakazu Hirokawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
Interests: human–robot interaction; machine learning; affective computing; wearables

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Information from sensors in healthcare, such as from smart systems in elderly people facilities, is expected to support a human’s active and delightful life. In line with this, robots with numerous sensors are implemented, with various applications, in many aspects of our daily life, including therapy for children with special needs or patients with dementia. Moreover, advances in sensor technology have allowed us to measure humans’ states in various applications. By sensing and processing cues from humans, such as audio, visual, and physiological signals, robotic systems obtain a better understanding toward users, leading to the provision of natural and proper human–robot interaction (HRI) during healthcare services. The approaches and perspectives of analyses are varied, from psychology to neuroscience. They include the modeling of human states during HRI, the estimation of a human’s emotions during HRI, and also the applications of robots or assistive tools for people with special needs. The main aim of this Special Issue is to bring together recent works in sensors or robotics for healthcare applications and review articles to summarize the state of the art of the field.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Sensory system for elderly people;
  • Rehabilitation and medical robots;
  • Interactive tools or robot applications in therapy;
  • Socially assistive robots;
  • Affective and cognitive sciences;
  • Affective computing and social robots;
  • Adaptation and personalization in sensor or robotic healthcare systems.

Dr. Jaeryoung Lee
Dr. Masakazu Hirokawa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • healthcare application
  • robot-assisted therapy
  • human states sensing
  • human–robot interaction
  • assistive device

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 9819 KiB  
Article
A Hand-Held Device Presenting Haptic Directional Cues for the Visually Impaired
by Shuhao Dong, Justin Gallagher, Andrew Jackson and Martin Levesley
Sensors 2023, 23(20), 8415; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23208415 - 12 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2047
Abstract
Haptic information is essential in everyday activities, especially for visually impaired people in terms of real-world navigation. Since human haptic sensory processing is nonlinear, asymmetric vibrations have been widely studied to create a pulling sensation for the delivery of directional haptic cues. However, [...] Read more.
Haptic information is essential in everyday activities, especially for visually impaired people in terms of real-world navigation. Since human haptic sensory processing is nonlinear, asymmetric vibrations have been widely studied to create a pulling sensation for the delivery of directional haptic cues. However, the design of an input control signal that generates asymmetric vibrations has not yet been parameterised. In particular, it is unclear how to quantify the asymmetry of the output vibrations to create a better pulling sensation. To better understand the design of an input control signal that generates haptic directional cues, we evaluated the effect of the pulling sensations corresponding to the three adjustable parameters (i.e., delay time, ramp-down step length, and cut-off voltage) in a commonly applied step-ramp input signal. The results of a displacement measurement and a psychophysical experiment demonstrate that when the quantified asymmetry ratio is in a range of 0.3430–0.3508 with an optimised cut-off voltage for our hand-held device, the haptic directional cues are better perceived by participants. Additionally, the results also showed a superior performance in haptic delivery by shear forces than normal forces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Robots for Healthcare)
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11 pages, 16070 KiB  
Article
Pleasant Stroke Touch on Human Back by a Human and a Robot
by Tomoki Ishikura, Yuki Kitamura, Wataru Sato, Jun Takamatsu, Akishige Yuguchi, Sung-Gwi Cho, Ming Ding, Sakiko Yoshikawa and Tsukasa Ogasawara
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031136 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3745
Abstract
Pleasant touching is an important aspect of social interactions that is widely used as a caregiving technique. To address the problems resulting from a lack of available human caregivers, previous research has attempted to develop robots that can perform this kind of pleasant [...] Read more.
Pleasant touching is an important aspect of social interactions that is widely used as a caregiving technique. To address the problems resulting from a lack of available human caregivers, previous research has attempted to develop robots that can perform this kind of pleasant touch. However, it remains unclear whether robots can provide such a pleasant touch in a manner similar to humans. To investigate this issue, we compared the effect of the speed of gentle strokes on the back between human and robot agents on the emotional responses of human participants (n = 28). A robot or a human stroked on the participants’ back at two different speeds (i.e., 2.6 and 8.5 cm/s). The participants’ subjective (valence and arousal ratings) and physiological (facial electromyography (EMG) recorded from the corrugator supercilii and zygomatic major muscles and skin conductance response) emotional reactions were measured. The subjective ratings demonstrated that the speed of 8.5 cm/s was more pleasant and arousing than the speed of 2.6 cm/s for both human and robot strokes. The corrugator supercilii EMG showed that the speed of 8.5 cm/s resulted in reduced activity in response to both human and robot strokes. These results demonstrate similar speed-dependent modulations of stroke on subjective and physiological positive emotional responses across human and robot agents and suggest that robots can provide a pleasant touch similar to that of humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Robots for Healthcare)
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22 pages, 6843 KiB  
Article
Telepresence Robot System for People with Speech or Mobility Disabilities
by Hebah ElGibreen, Ghada Al Ali, Rawan AlMegren, Reema AlEid and Samar AlQahtani
Sensors 2022, 22(22), 8746; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22228746 - 12 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3713
Abstract
Due to an increase in the number of disabled people around the world, inclusive solutions are becoming a priority. People with disabilities may encounter many problems and may not be able to easily participate in various activities due to physical barriers, which may [...] Read more.
Due to an increase in the number of disabled people around the world, inclusive solutions are becoming a priority. People with disabilities may encounter many problems and may not be able to easily participate in various activities due to physical barriers, which may sometimes cause them to be frustrated and embarrassed. Recently, the emerging telepresence robot technology has been proposed to enable people with disabilities to increase their presence by incorporating information and communications technology (ICT) into robotics platforms. Therefore, in this paper we conduct a comprehensive analysis using comparative and elicitation studies to understand the current state of mobile telepresence robot systems and to identify the gaps that must be filled. This paper further contributes to the literature by proposing a novel telepresence robot system that adapts text-to-speech (TTS) and ICT technologies with robotics for its use as an assistant. To the authors’ knowledge, the proposed system is the first MRP system that supports speech impairment and introduces emotion components into its communication function. It includes an operator site (mobile) and a remote site (robot) to allow users to control the robot from a distance and communicate with others in remote locations. It allows the user to physically interact with people and show certain emotions through the robot in remote locations, or it can accompany them to speak on their behalf. It can provide agency for both remote and in-class users through emoji-based communication and audio–video streaming with recording functionality. As shown at the end of this paper, the system was tested with 30 people, some of whom had mobility or speech disabilities, showing that the user acceptance score was above 95% and that people with disabilities liked to interact with other people using the proposed system. The users appreciated having the ability to control the robot from a distance and praised the capability to show their emotions through the robot emoji motions and to control the audio–video streaming. From this study, we conclude that the proposed telepresence system could be an asset to people with speech and mobility disabilities and could help them feel physically present in various places. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Robots for Healthcare)
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30 pages, 5362 KiB  
Systematic Review
State-of-the-Art of Non-Radiative, Non-Visual Spine Sensing with a Focus on Sensing Forces, Vibrations and Bioelectrical Properties: A Systematic Review
by Maikel Timmermans, Aidana Massalimova, Ruixuan Li, Ayoob Davoodi, Quentin Goossens, Kenan Niu, Emmanuel Vander Poorten, Philipp Fürnstahl and Kathleen Denis
Sensors 2023, 23(19), 8094; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23198094 - 26 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1928
Abstract
In the research field of robotic spine surgery, there is a big upcoming momentum for surgeon-like autonomous behaviour and surgical accuracy in robotics which goes beyond the standard engineering notions such as geometric precision. The objective of this review is to present an [...] Read more.
In the research field of robotic spine surgery, there is a big upcoming momentum for surgeon-like autonomous behaviour and surgical accuracy in robotics which goes beyond the standard engineering notions such as geometric precision. The objective of this review is to present an overview of the state of the art in non-visual, non-radiative spine sensing for the enhancement of surgical techniques in robotic automation. It provides a vantage point that facilitates experimentation and guides new research projects to what has not been investigated or integrated in surgical robotics. Studies were identified, selected and processed according to the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant study characteristics that were searched for include the sensor type and measured feature, the surgical action, the tested sample, the method for data analysis and the system’s accuracy of state identification. The 6DOF f/t sensor, the microphone and the electromyography probe were the most commonly used sensors in each category, respectively. The performance of the electromyography probe is unsatisfactory in terms of preventing nerve damage as it can only signal after the nerve is disturbed. Feature thresholding and artificial neural networks were the most common decision algorithms for state identification. The fusion of different sensor data in the decision algorithm improved the accuracy of state identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors and Robots for Healthcare)
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