A Research Roadmap for Medical and Healthcare Robotics
This research roadmap outlines the strategic findings, key challenges, capabilities, and basic research needs for medical and healthcare robotics. It covers surgical and interventional robotics, functional replacement, recovery and rehabilitation, behavioral therapy, personalized care, and wellness promotion. The document emphasizes the integration of robotics with human users to improve healthcare access, prevention, and patient outcomes.
Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.
Who issued it
Who it governs
This document is for researchers, engineers, funding agencies, and industry representatives working at the intersection of robotics and healthcare.
What the document contains
The document covers strategic applications for medical robotics including surgery, functional replacement, rehabilitation, behavioral therapy, personalized care, and wellness promotion. It details the technical capabilities and basic research required to achieve these applications, along with deployment issues.
It does not provide specific binding legal regulations, binding government directives, or formal enforcement mechanisms for healthcare robotics.
- Medical and healthcare robotics are designed for direct interaction with human users across surgical, rehabilitation, and home environments.
- Societal drivers such as aging populations and a shortage of healthcare workers necessitate the development of assistive and robotic healthcare technologies.
- Key capabilities required include intuitive physical human-robot interaction, automated understanding of human behavior and emotion, and long-term adaptation.
- Deployment requires addressing challenges in safety, reliability, system evaluation, affordability, and regulatory frameworks.
- Basic research must advance control architectures, formal methods, control and planning, perception, robust sensors, novel mechanisms, and learning algorithms.
· 1 Introduction · 2 Strategic Findings · 3 Key Challenges and Capabilities · 4 Basic Research/Technologies · 5 Contributors
How it scores
Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.
Accountability
2/5Clear responsibility for AI outcomes
Objective approaches for accountability and certification/assessment also contribute to this goal.
1.2 Societal Drivers
screening score · 2026-10-23
Fairness
0/5Non-discrimination and equitable treatment
screening score · 2026-10-23
Human Dignity
1/5Respect for the inherent worth of persons
Improving care and empowering the care recipient also facilitates providing independence for caregivers
1.2 Societal Drivers
screening score · 2026-10-23
Human Oversight
4/5Humans remain in control of consequential decisions
Current robots used in surgery are under the direct control of a surgeon, often in a teleoperation scenario in which a human operator manipulates a master input device and patient-side robot follows the input.
2.1 Surgical and Interventional Robotics
screening score · 2026-10-23
Privacy
2/5Protection of personal data and private life
The systems must be private and secure, and interoperable with other systems in the home.
3.3 Deployment Issues
screening score · 2026-10-23
Transparency
2/5Openness about how AI systems work and are used
As systems become increasingly intelligent and autonomous, it is necessary to develop methods for measuring and evaluating adaptive technologies
3.3 Deployment Issues
screening score · 2026-10-23
Enforcement
0/5Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force
screening score · 2026-10-23
Impact Assessment
3/5Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use
Policies are needed to address regulatory barriers, the issue of licensure and state-by-state certification, rules for proctoring and teaching with robots, and reimbursement via insurance companies.
3.3 Deployment Issues
screening score · 2026-10-23