Use cases for care robots

Abstract

Demographic change, lack of skilled workforce within the nursing sector and rising healthcare costs are worsening the current conditions of care giver and care receiver in nursing facilities. The European Commission is aware of these conditions and therefore establishes various funding for research projects for the use of healthcare robotics. Within the past decade grand advances have been made in the use of robotics and became commercially available. Since emerge of care robots numerous studies have been analysed their effect on the elderly. While very specific elements such as design, ethical, legal and technical perspectives are being extensively discussed there is an absent comprehensive referral of care robot use cases. The purpose of this paper is to close that gap and produce a list of use cases that comply with current economic, technical, ethical and social requirements in order to guide the decision for an investment in care robots.