Rethinking the Role of Collaborative Robots in Rehabilitation

TL;DR

This paper explores expanding the role of collaborative robots in rehabilitation to support therapists and patients throughout therapy, aiming to improve access, efficiency, and personalized care.

Contribution

It proposes a broader framework for cobots in rehabilitation, emphasizing their potential in assisting at all therapy phases and addressing current limitations.

Findings

Cobots can support therapy before, during, and after sessions.

They can help manage therapists' workload and improve patient access.

Challenges include safety, user-state understanding, and workflow integration.

Abstract

Current research on collaborative robots (cobots) in physical rehabilitation largely focuses on repeated motion training for people undergoing physical therapy (PuPT), even though these sessions include phases that could benefit from robotic collaboration and assistance. Meanwhile, access to physical therapy remains limited for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Cobots could support both PuPT and therapists, and improve access to therapy, yet their broader potential remains underexplored. We propose extending the scope of cobots by imagining their role in assisting therapists and PuPT before, during, and after a therapy session. We discuss how cobot assistance may lift access barriers by promoting ability-based therapy design and helping therapists manage their time and effort. Finally, we highlight challenges to realizing these roles, including advancing user-state understanding, ensuring safety, and integrating cobots into therapists' workflow. This view opens new research questions and opportunities to draw from the HRI community's advances in assistive robotics.