Information Security in Medical Robotics: A Survey on the Level of Training, Awareness and Use of the Physiotherapist

Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important aspect to investigate for the adoption and use of care robots, in term of both patients’ safety, and the availability, integrity and privacy of their data. This study focuses on opinions about cybersecurity relevance and related skills for physiotherapists involved in rehabilitation and assistance thanks to the aid of robotics. The goal was to investigate the awareness among insiders about some facets of cybersecurity concerning human–robot interactions. We designed an electronic questionnaire and submitted it to a relevant sample of physiotherapists. The questionnaire allowed us to collect data related to: (i) use of robots and its relationship with cybersecurity in the context of physiotherapy; (ii) training in cybersecurity and robotics for the insiders; (iii) insiders’ self-assessment on cybersecurity and robotics in some usage scenarios, and (iv) their experiences of cyber-attacks in this area and proposals for improvement. Besides contributing some specific statistics, the study highlights the importance of both acculturation processes in this field and monitoring initiatives based on surveys. The study exposes direct suggestions for continuation of these types of investigations in the context of scientific societies operating in the rehabilitation and assistance robotics. The study also shows the need to stimulate similar initiatives in other sectors of medical robotics (robotic surgery, care and socially assistive robots, rehabilitation systems, training for health and care workers) involving insiders.

A Tribometric Device for the Rolling Contact of Soft Elastomers

Rolling contact experimentation is a viable and instructive method for exploring the adhesive contact between surfaces. When applied to soft elastomeric or engineered surfaces, the results of such experiments can provide insights relevant to medical robotics, soft gripping applications, and reversible dry adhesives for bandages or wearable devices. We have designed and built a tribometric device to capture normal and tangential forces between a rolling indenter and substrate correlated with contact area imaging. The device was validated using an experimental setup involving a rigid, nominally smooth acrylic cylinder rolling against a flat polydimethylsiloxame (PDMS) substrate, the results of which matched favorably with accepted contact mechanics theories. The second test involved an indenter with a rigid core and thin (3 mm) smooth shell of a highly deformable, viscoelastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) rolling on the same PDMS substrate. This test deviated significantly from analytical predictions, highlighting the effects of finite-thickness effects, viscoelasticity, and interfacial slip. This device will facilitate experimental investigations of the rolling contact mechanics between textured surfaces and soft tissue-like materials, which is an important fundamental problem in medical robotics.

Stakeholder involvement in the innovation process: An example in medical robotics, the ROBO-K project

In the field of medical robotics, many studies have called for the integration of end-users in the innovation process. The objective is to identify the factors that facilitate (or not) the use of the designed robots and thus try to guarantee their diffusion in the care services. This recommendation was followed in the ROBO-K project. The ROBO-K project proposes the design and development of a mobile, interactive robot dedicated to gait rehabilitation. This project was initiated by BA Healthcare, a medical robotics company. The design of a robot was accompanied to achieve the targeted therapeutic objectives by taking into account the requirements related to the needs of the patients and the practitioners; the care activity and the institutions involved. A follow-up by the social acceptability of the technology led to focus the innovation process on a co-construction activity involving all stakeholders. This co-construction activity was decisive, as it guided the definition of functional expectations and the technical specifications of the prototype developed. It was completed by a test phase of the prototype (in a care situation for 5 months). The results show the relevance to involve all the stakeholders in all the design and development phases of the robotic device. However, they underline the difficulties or limits linked to this type of approach in terms of innovation.