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Emerging Technologies for Assistive Robotics

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Robotics and Automation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 983

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
ENEA Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome, Italy
Interests: robotics; artificial intelligence; neural networks

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Guest Editor
Department of Computing, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UK
Interests: cognitive robotics; developmental robotics; human–robot interactions; intelligent robots; machine and deep learning applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid advancement of robotics and artificial intelligence is transforming modern society, with assistive robotics emerging as a particularly promising field. As the global population ages and the demand for personalized healthcare grows, assistive robots are playing an increasingly vital role in improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and those in need of rehabilitation. Rising life expectancy worldwide is placing unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, as age-related conditions such as mobility impairments, cognitive decline, and chronic illnesses become more prevalent. Traditional care models are struggling to meet this growing demand, making it crucial to explore innovative solutions like assistive robotics to ensure accessible and sustainable care. Assistive robots offer support that enables people to extend their active lives at home, enhancing their independence and wellbeing. These technologies range from wearable exoskeletons that aid mobility to intelligent prosthetics and socially interactive robots that provide companionship and cognitive support. Advances in machine learning, sensor technologies, and human–robot interactions are enabling these systems to better understand and adapt to the dynamic needs of users. This Special Issue highlights the latest research in novel robotic platforms, adaptive control algorithms, and the integration of smart sensors and artificial intelligence to enhance the autonomy and usability of assistive robots. It aims to inspire future research that will continue to push the boundaries of assistive robotics, creating impactful solutions that can significantly improve the lives of those who need them most.

Dr. Andrea Zanela
Prof. Dr. Alessandro Di Nuovo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • assistive robotics
  • personalized healthcare
  • aging population
  • cognitive support
  • human–robot interactions
  • machine learning
  • adaptive control algorithms
  • smart sensors
  • multimodal interfaces

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

41 pages, 3669 KiB  
Article
Exploring Embodiment Form Factors of a Home-Helper Robot: Perspectives from Care Receivers and Caregivers
by Katherine M. Tsui, Rune Baggett and Carol Chiang
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15020891 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 616
Abstract
Society’s aging is a worldwide crisis that affects many countries, as the Older Adult (OA) population is growing faster than younger populations. With this, there are fewer caregivers (CGs), and more care receivers (CRs) exist. It is vital to understand how we can [...] Read more.
Society’s aging is a worldwide crisis that affects many countries, as the Older Adult (OA) population is growing faster than younger populations. With this, there are fewer caregivers (CGs), and more care receivers (CRs) exist. It is vital to understand how we can ease the burden of caregiving on both the care receivers’ and caregivers’ sides. Our research focuses on robotic mobility and stability assistance for independent living OAs. We draw upon best practices from Occupational Therapy for sit-to-stand (STS) transfer techniques and question what sit-to-stand could look like if performed by a robot. Drawing inspiration from assistive devices, we designed 3 robot embodiments: a humanoid robot, a pair of robots, and a simple pole robot. We conducted a cross-cultural study with 24 CR and CG focus groups in both the United States and Japan to understand OAs’ preferences and expected functionality for continued independence in their homes. Our findings show that, from the perspectives of both CRs and CGs in both countries, TRIbot, the humanoid robot was the most preferred (Japan 34 of 48 participants; 70.8% and US 24 of 43 participants; 55.8%) for caregiving tasks as it was perceived to be the most capable of providing increased assistance as OAs age. Additionally and unsurprisingly, OAs expected the robot to perform general household tasks and that they would speak to the robot. We contextualize our results within the rising popularity of humanoid robots and the desire for general purpose Artificial Intelligence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Technologies for Assistive Robotics)
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