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Research Progress and Prospect on Nursing Robot

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DOI: 10.2174/2212797611666180306124236

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Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, 11, 41-57

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ISSN: 2212-7976
eISSN: 1874-477X

Research Progress and Prospect of Nursing Robot

Jingang Jiang1,*, Zhiyuan Huang1, Biao Huo1, Yongde Zhang1 and Shichang Song2
Recent Patents on MechanicalEngineering

1
Robotics & ITS Engineering Research Center, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, P.R.
China; 2School of Foreign Languages, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, P.R. China

Abstract: Background: With the elderly population increasing at a phenomenal rate in the world, the
A R T I C L E H I S T O R Y

Received: September 10, 2017
Revised: February 24, 2018
Accepted: February 28, 2018
DOI:
10.2174/2212797611666180306124236

Keywords: Design requirements, independent nursing robot, multi-functional, nursing, nursing bed, rehabilitation.
disabled elderly care has become a hot issue concerned with society and government. The latest survey
showed that the elder, who wish to grow old in their own house, is more than 85%. It is a pending prob-
lem that how to meet the elder’s need and relieve the burden of society and their children. The nursing
service market could reach 3.3 trillion yuan in 2020, and then the technology industry of elderly nurs-
ing will grow into a new increasing point for the national economy. Therefore, the informatization and
robotization of elderly nursing will become the necessary development trend in the future.
Objective: To provide an overview of the existing nursing robots and introduce their classification,
characteristics and development.
Methods: This paper reviews various productions and patents related to the nursing robot. The struc-
tural characteristics, differentiations and applications of the typical nursing robot are also introduced.
Results: The three types of the nursing robot are compared and analyzed, and the typical characteristics
are concluded. The main problems in its development are analyzed, the development trend is foreseen,
and the current and future research of the productions and patents on the nursing robot are discussed.
Conclusion: Nursing robots are divided into an independent nursing robot, rehabilitation nursing robot
bed and multifunctional mobile nursing robot. The nursing robot has important practical significance
for promoting social nursing services, and it plays an important role in improving nursing quality of
patients and the elderly and reducing the pressure of nursing staff. Further improvements are needed in
the aspects of reliability, comfortable capability, humanization, intelligence and security of the nursing
robot. More patents on nursing robot should be invented.

1. INTRODUCTION
With the continuous improvement of living standards and
medical standards, aging population has drawn great public
attention. However, most of the elderly are lacking the abil-
ity to take care of themselves. According to a survey, less
than 40% of the elderly aged over 80 have the ability to care
themselves [1]. More families are finding themselves unable
to look after aged relatives who are unable to look after
themselves. The elderly nursing has become a social issue.
With the rapid development of science and technology, the
nursing robot has come into being. The nursing robot is de-
signed specifically for the elderly and disabled people, who
lack self-care ability. And this robot can help them to restore
part of their self-care ability, and effectively reduce the so-
cial problems caused by aging [2]. As a medical robot, the
*Address correspondence to this author at the Robotics & ITS Engineering
Research Center, Harbin University of Science and Technology, No. 52
Xuefu Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150080, P.R.
China; Tel: +86 0451-86390485; Cell Phone: +86 18846445528;
Fax: +86 0451-86390581; Email: jiangjingang@hrbust.edu.cn
nursing robot can help to move the patient, who is disabled
or unable to move himself, onto the wheelchair. It possesses
the good human-computer interaction ability. The patient can
control the nursing robot through voice, gesture or image.
Meanwhile, the nursing robot can remind patient to take
medicine, and change dressings. The nursing robot can also
observe and record the living habits of the elderly patient,
which offers the doctor relatively complete data for medical
reference.
In addition to nursing robots, similar medical robots also
include typical rehabilitation robots. Rehabilitation robots
are mainly classified by rehabilitation locations, such as re-
habilitation of hand functions [3], waist rehabilitation [4],
ankle rehabilitation [5], lower limb [6] and upper limb reha-
bilitation [7, 8]. However, rehabilitation robots or rehabilita-
tion equipment are relatively specialized to a specific patient,
and these devices cannot be used universally. Furthermore,
the rehabilitation will be limited by the mechanical structure.
In contrast, nursing robots are versatile and it has a wide
range of applications applied to any population. In particular,
humanoid nursing robots generally have a lovely appearance,

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42 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1
and its surface material is soft, so it can provide a comfort-
able interactive scene. The nursing robot can not only nurse
the patient’s injuries, but also increase the psychological
comfort of patients and nursing stuff. As a result, nursing
robots have had a rapid growth in recent years.
The reasons for the rapid development of nursing robots
are further summarized. The four reasons are as follows:
1.1. Aggravation of Aging Society
The population aging has caused changes in social struc-
ture, family structure and pension structure. Till now, the
population structure has evolved into an inverted pyramid
structure. Most elderly people have a decline in their physi-
cal functions, and their vitality has already decreased. They
will face many difficulties and obstacles, and their daily life
is unattended. More and more elderly people need prompt
nurse services to ensure their safety. This is a serious chal-
lenge to the cause of nursing.
1.2. Health Damage of the Elderly
Most of the elderly are of temporary disability and be-
long to sub-health groups. The elderly with functional dis-
abilities face a variety of living difficulties.
1.3. Insufficient Social Nursing Service
Nursing services are facing serious challenges and di-
rectly stimulate the domestic nursing robot market, espe-
cially in countries with a great population. The society ur-
gently needs intelligent nursing equipment and applies it to
families and nursing homes.
1.4. National Laws and Regulations Support
National governments successively promulgated a series
of laws and policies to protect the legitimate rights of the
elderly and disabled. National protection and laws improved
the life quality of the elderly and promoted the development
of nursing.
It can be concluded from the above four points that the
nursing robots are developed with the improvement of medi-
cal care level and robot technology, and it has brought new
vitality to nurse the disable patients and elderly. The nursing
robot can not only reduce the work intensity of the nursing
staff and improve the nursing efficiency, but also enhance
the self-nurse ability and adaptability of the patients and eld-
erly. Therefore, nursing robots have become one of the re-
search hot topics in recent years.
In today’s background, nursing robots conform to the
needs of social development, providing a new direction for
medical equipment, thus we should pay attention to the de-
velopment of nursing robot, so that it can bring us more
benefits.
2. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS AND CLASSIFICA-
TION OF NURSING ROBOT
2.1. Design Requirements of Nursing Robot
In 1980, the American Nursing Institute proposed a for-
mal definition of nursing which is the diagnosis and treat-
Jiang et al.
ment of human response to the existing or potential health
problems. Based on this definition, the nursing robot should
be able to make an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment
for people’s health problems. So, their main task is to make
accurate judgments and treatments according to different
groups of people, diseases, emergencies and other issues.
Therefore, the design requirements of the nursing robot are
as follows [9, 10].
2.1.1. Safety and Stability
Nursing robot mainly targets at special groups who are
aged or have disease and other patients who have long time
bedridden with the disease. These patients act and response
slowly, and they cannot give prompt response to emergen-
cies. Therefore, the safety and stability of nursing robot are
particularly important to ensure the safety of patients, and
this is the primary design principle. The design of the nurs-
ing robot should be in accordance with the structure, control
and debugging to ensure its safety and stability.
2.1.2. Humanization
As a service-oriented robot, the nursing robot should fol-
low the principles of humanization design. As an important
design factor, the humanization design of nursing robots
should consider the ergonomic principles to handle the man-
machine relationship, the human behavior, and psychology.
Following the human nature, this makes the nursing robot
serve much better with the human.
2.1.3. Intelligence
In order to make the nursing robot complete the task, we
should improve the intelligence of the nursing robot. Thus,
the nursing robot should be able to record information and
life style of human in daily life. Meanwhile, the human-
machine interaction system of nursing robot should be estab-
lished.
2.1.4. Standardization and Modularization
The design of nursing robot should follow the standardized
and modular design ideas. It can improve stability and shorten
the development cycle and design costs. At the same time, the
design principles of standardization and modularization will
also be conducive to the maintenance of nursing robot.
2.2. Classification of Nursing Robot
In recent years, various nursing robots have been de-
signed. It can generally be classified as three categories: in-
dependent nursing robot, rehabilitation nursing robot bed and
multi-functional mobile nursing robot.
Independent nursing robot helps the elderly and incon-
venient patients to automatically clean the defecation. The
robot’s sensor can detect the position of defecation and clean
up the dirt. This independent nursing robot also has functions
of cleaning and dehumidification, and some of the nursing
robots also has the function of anion purification. It can
eliminate mildew and odor [10].
Rehabilitation nursing robot bed is designed for patients
who need long-term bed rest, using rehabilitation care equip-
ment, which can turn the left side, turn the right side, turn
around, defecate and so on [11]. Rehabilitation nursing robot
Nursing Robot Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 43

bed is mainly used in hospitals and homes for medical care. It

is mainly nursing for the elderly and disabled. Given the long-
term bedridden, their limbs cannot be stretched. The nursing Control box
robot bed provides the function of upper and lower limb reha-
bilitation exercise and muscle massage. Rehabilitation nursing
robot bed not only gets rehabilitation of bones but also pro-
motes limb blood circulation. It also can provide the patient
with vital signs of the test and configure cameras for assisting
the paramedic to monitor the situation of patient [12].
The multi-functional mobile nursing robot can assist the
paramedic to turn over, feed, disinfect the patients. With the
rapid development of mobile nursing robots, some of the
mobile nursing robots will replace the paramedic to complete
the majority of nursing jobs. The multi-functional nursing Collector
robot has two arms, a torso and a head. Robot’s arms can
provide greater torque so that it can hold the patient. A vari-
ety of sensors are installed in robots including visual sensors, Fig. (1). XFCS-A schematic.
auditory sensors, and olfactory sensors. These sensors can
effectively improve the nursing ability of the robot, and re- In 2005, the Toshiba of Japan developed the “company”
duce the workload of the paramedic. and “recognition”, two series of home nursing robot [2].
These two nursing robots have a lovely appearance and full
3. RESEARCH STATUS OF NURSING ROBOT body. By building multiple microphones and using an
advanced image, these two nursing robots can understand
Since 1940, the first-generation model of the nursing operator’s commands and automatically follow the opera-
robot has been invented, but it didn’t have specific functions tor’s function. These two nursing robots can also identify
such as nursing services. After 40 years, the nursing robot whether the surrounding environment is dangerous, thereby
had some functions of nursing and assisting [13]. In 1990’s, reminding the operator, and the nursing robot itself will start
a number of countries conducted in-depth study on nursing calling for help. These two robots are small and easy to
robot. Researchers have developed some nursing robots. At carry. They are the little assistants of children and the eld-
present, the three most important categories of nursing ro- erly.
bots are independent nursing robots, rehabilitation nursing
robots bed and multi-functional mobile nursing robots. In 2013, Japan’s Panasonic Company produced an intel-
ligent robot to assist nursing workers, called HOSPI-R. Its
3.1. Independent Nursing Robot appearance is shown in Fig. (2). This robot can transport
medicines under 20Kg once a time, at a speed of 1m/s in
Independent nursing robot mainly nurses the hygiene of
patient. A company developed the intelligent nursing robot
called XFCS-A, which is shown in Fig. (1). After the
defecation of the elderly or long-term bedridden patients, Monitor
this robot can clean the excreta. The XFCS-A mainly in-
cludes the collector and the control box. The collector is
connected with the box through the catheter. When the pa-
tient defecates, the paramedic places the collector in the pa-
tient’s private position, and the excreta is sucked into the
collector, then it will be deodorized. The patient’s buttock
can be washed by warm water, dried by warm breeze and
purified by negative ion so that the odor can be removed.
The independent nursing robot can be used in the hospital Drug storage box
and home. This nursing robot has the characteristics of con-
venience, safety and reliability. Fig. (2). HOSPI-R, Panasonic, Japan.
A nursing robot “ROLA” is developed by National Chiao
Tung University, it can achieve the “wherever” care for the maximum. This robot equipped with a rechargeable battery,
elderly daily life [2]. The patient wears real-time human can work continuously for a week. Because the HOSPI-R
identification system. If the patient has an accident at home, possesses plenty of functions and intelligent qualities, the
with the help of the automatic wireless network communica- designer particularly pays attention to its safety and stability.
tion system or 3G mobile phone, ROLA will automatically The HOSPI-R provides the opening measures of smart card,
send the distress signal and the scene image to the family’s so this robot can open the door to remove the drug when the
mobile phone, and immediately take the necessary rescue. paramedic uses the smart card. In addition, in order to ensure
Equipped with radar rangefinder, ROLA can detect and iden- the safety of the medicine-transporting process, the robot is
tify indoor furniture location. So, it can realize the functions designed to store liquid and solid drugs differently. When the
of autonomous obstacle avoidance. ROLA has the speech HOSPI-R intelligent drug delivery robot accelerates or stops,
recognition and natural dialogue function. there is a corresponding buffer device to avoid the drugs or
44 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 Jiang et al.

liquid spill. In addition to ensuring the safety of drug trans- which combines bed with a wheelchair. The nursing bed can
port, the efficiency of its transportation is also paid more be transformed from a bed into a wheelchair, and vice versa.
attention. Equipped with sensors, this robot can present the This is suitable for the long-term bedridden patients [18].
map of the hospital. So, it can effectively avoid obstacles and
Paramount is the world’s largest manufacturer of medical
pedestrians. At the same time, this robot can send the infor- bed [19]. This company developed a rehabilitation nursing
mation of robot’s location to the control center so that the
robot bed called the Gakusho series, which is shown in Fig.
control center can monitor and record its position at any time
(4). The back and knee joint of Gakusho can rotate
[14].
simultaneously. It can effectively prevent bedsores and re-
A modular symmetrical transport nursing robot and the duce the patient’s position deviation. The movements and
bidirectional transport method of this robot are invented by the bending angle of back or knees of this nursing robot bed
Yanshan University, which is shown in Fig. (3). The trans- can be adjusted automatically.
port module includes the lower transmission assembly and
the upper transmission components. The lower transmission
components include the walking machine frame, motor, the
tension wheel, a walking driven cog belt wheel and synchro-
nous belt. The upper drive assembly includes the parallel
arranged on both sides of the board and the second motor.
The second motor is connected with the driving gear and Step 1 Step 2
meshed with the drive gear wheel. The wheel engaged with
the driven gear, the driving roller, two tensioning rollers ar-
ranged in parallel. The two lateral tension rollers are ar-
ranged at the bottoms of both sides of the board and in paral-
lel with the active roller. This robot can realize the patient
transferring between the bed and the stretcher vehicle trans-
port. So, it can reduce the labor intensity of medical person-
nel and avoid the traditional way of transport which brings Appearance Step 3
secondary damage to the patient in the transport process [15,
16]. Fig. (4). Gakusho Z, Paramount, Japan.

In recent years, China has made great progress in the

rehabilitation nursing robot bed. Li et al. invented a multi-
functional nursing robot bed, which is shown in Fig. (5). The
Conveyor nursing robot bed is divided into three horizontal boards
Cover board [20]. These horizontal boards can be turned by the hydraulic
cylinder, so that it makes the patient stand up. In addition,
these horizontal boards consist of four longitudinal boards,
which is driven by the hydro-cylinders. It can help the pa-
tient bend his knees or keep his back upright. The issue of
Linkage defecation can be easily solved on condition that a toilet is
Longitudinal plate set under the bed. Compared with the previous type, the
needs of the vegetable can also be met. This nursing robot
Lateral panel bed can help long-term bedridden patient to meet the needs
Longeron of sitting, turning, eating, reading and writing, entertainment
Lifting eye and other aspects.
Crossbeam
Riser Bed Limit switch Bed Blanket Hydro-cylinder
Fig. (3). Structure of a bidirectional transport robot. Bed

3.2. Rehabilitation Nursing Robot Bed

At the end of the last century, some developed countries
began to focus on the study of rehabilitation nursing robot
bed. The most representative companies are the United
States Metrocare Company, Devicelink Company, Japan’s
Panasonic Electric Company and Paramountbed companies.
They are international industry leader in rehabilitation nurs-
ing robot bed. Fig. (5). Working principle of multifunctional nursing robot bed.
A rehabilitation bed is designed by Metrocare company. CN201210013875.6.
It can support patient’s back and reduce the labor intensity of
the paramedic. The company designed the functional bed Li et al. invented a multi-functional nursing robot bed,
board based on the principles of ergonomic planning [17]. which is shown in Fig. (6). It adds a number of functions and
The United States Device link invented the nursing bed, the mechanical structure to improve its stability and safety.
Nursing Robot
The multi-function nursing robot bed includes the back-
supporting unit, the turning over unit of body, the excrement
collecting unit, the curved leg unit and the bed unit [21]. The
starting unit includes the straight putter, the back-supporting
bar, the wire rope, the wire rope guide tube, the movable bed
board, the back-supporting plate, the guide groove, the con-
necting rod, the straight putter fixed block and the slider. The
bed unit includes the bedside guard, the bed tail guard, the
guard rail and the operation panel. The bed unit is connected
to the starting unit, the turning unit, the excrement collecting
unit and the crank unit. The turning unit connects the back
unit to the forth unit, and the turning unit is connected to the
packing unit and the crank unit respectively. This nursing
robot bed makes it possible for the patient to get self-nursing
so that the nursing efficiency can be improved.
Operating panel
Starting unit
Stand up unit Collection unit
Curved
leg unit
Bedside guard Bed unit
Guard rail Bedside guard
Fig. (6). Multi-functional nursing robot bed CN201610815606.
A rehabilitation nursing robot bed is developed by
Shanghai University of Engineering Science [11]. It serves
for the elderly, the disabled, long-term bedridden patients
and patients with chronic diseases. The nursing robot bed
can help the patient support his back, bend his legs, turn
himself over, and go to toilet. As is shown in Fig. (7), this
rehabilitation nursing robot bed provides patients with two
operation modes. In the first mode, patient can control the
bed by pressing the buttons on both sides or using a remote-
control device. The second mode is performed by PC moni-
toring system. The function of the rehabilitation nursing ro-
bot bed is complete, safe and comfortable. It is easy to oper-
ate and can meet the daily requirement of the elderly and the
disabled. In addition, the rehabilitation nursing robot bed has
the office table and dining table. The table board can be
overturned. The patient can have meals and handle some
businesses. And a camera can also be placed on the table
board, which facilitates the nursing staff and the family of
the patient to check the patient’s condition.
He et al. designed a combined nursing bed, which is
shown in Fig. (8). This nursing bed is similar to the patent
CN201610815606.X. The moveable backrest is installed on
the fixed bed body, and the wheelchair is setup at the rear of
the moveable backrest. The wheelchair is made up of three
rectangular boards, the wheelchair supports the driving com-
ponent. When the nursing bed runs, the three rectangular
boards are driven by the driving component, and pivot
around the rotary shafts, so that the bed can be transformed
into the wheelchair. The wheelchair can be separated from
the bed body. In the separating and combining process, the
Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 45
patient can realize the transformation between the wheelchair
and the bed easily. The transferring process does not con-
sume great physical energy of the nursing staff, and the pa-
tient will not suffer from redundant discomfort [22].
Straight back device
Turn over device
Defecation device
Wheel Music leg device
Fig. (7). A rehabilitation nursing robot bed developed by Shanghai
University of Engineering Science.
Backrest
Handle
Wheelchair backrest
Handle
Bed body
Plate
Rotating shaft
Wheelchair
Wheels
Suport
Shaft Driving
component
Pivotable plate
Fig. (8). Combined nursing bed US9295596.
In the practical application of the robot nursing bed, it
cannot solve all the cleaning for patients. A nursing robot
bath cabin system is invented by Henan University of Sci-
ence and Technology. The core components of the nursing
robot bath cabin are bathing system and the robot. The nurs-
ing robot bath cabin system can assist human in standing and
provide some cleaning services. The robot basically contains
that auxiliary standing mechanism, rubbing mechanism and
head-washing mechanism. According to the design objec-
tives of the nursing robot, the overall program design of the
nursing robot was proposed, which is shown in Fig. (9).
With the help of the standing system, the nursing robot can
help the operator to convert from the standing to sitting. The
design of the bathing cabin will be directly influenced by the
body size of operators and the space. When the servo motors
drive the gears respectively, the auxiliary supporting system
can realize the longitudinal and transverse spin rotation. The
backrest lifting frame, the lifting frame, the supporting hand-
rail armrest and the seat bracket are installed vertically.
When the electric putter and foot floor in the horizontal di-
46 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1
Mechanical body
Standing device
Wash device
Scrub device
Fig. (9). The nursing robot bath cabin system.
rection are moved, the bathing in sitting posture will be fin-
ished by the coordinated movement of vertical axis and
horizontal axis of the convertible [23].
A medical robot electric nursing bed is shown in Fig.
(10). It comprises the bed body and medical robot. The upper
body and the lower slide block are fixedly arranged on the
lower trunk of the robot. The gear and the slider are installed
in the slide block. The robot can slide on the bed. The tail of
the bed and the fixing bed legs are connected with the motor,
and drive the lifting platform. The bed equips with the con-
veying mechanism, and it includes the basin device to the
bedpan and the lifting platform. The massage mechanism,
the pillow board lifting device, the backrest lifting device
and the toilet sliding device are all connected with the bed
body. The nursing bed can automatically rotate patient, do
some massage and change the bedpan. The patent has the
advantages of multiple functions of medical treatment and
nursing, and it can reduce the workload of nursing staff [24].
Wind bedding roller
Power Medical robot Fix bed legs
Motor roller Sliding device Dining table
Pump
Lavabo Slide
Elevator
wheel
Lifting
wheel Stretch bedding roller Wind bedding roller
Fig. (10). Structure of medical robot electric nursing bed
CN200510046143.7.
Kawasaki heavy industry filed a patent on the nursing
bed, which is shown in Fig. (11). This nursing bed includes
Jiang et al.
PC
Motion controller 1 Motion controller 2
Life monitoring system
Scrub system
Wash system
Water cycle system
Standing system
the fixed members and the movable members. The operator
can lie in the bed board formed by the fixed members. The
movable members can form a moving bed board. The fixed
members have many elongated sections that respectively
extend in the lateral direction or the longitudinal direction.
The movable members can be moved between intervals
formed by elongated sections, which makes the fixed board
lift up. The movable members can be operated in the lateral
direction and the longitudinal direction. The patient lying in
the bed can turn over effortlessly [25-27].
Nursing bed
Bed upper surface
Bed upper surface
Bed surface
member
Bed surface member
Input ports Robot arm
Driving mechanism
Fig. (11). Nursing bed US20150335505.
Zhang et al. invented a nursing bed, which is shown in
Fig. (12). This nursing bed has two-bed structure and right
trapezoid framework. The two wheels of the bed are driven
differently. The part which supports the back is located at the
rear of the right-angled trapezoid. The part which supports
the legs is located in the front and sides of the right-angled
trapezoid. The lower board which supports thigh is hinged
with the lower board which supports shank. The turn-over
parts locate between the back-supporting part and the leg-
supporting part. The part of pedal lifting is attached to the
Nursing Robot Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 47

lower board which supports shank, to meet the requirements
of different groups with different pedal positions. The hip-
supporting part is located in the center of the right-angled
trapezoid. And the toilet is installed under the hip-supporting
board. The toilet can be lifted and the toilet lid can be turned
off. The nursing bed can not only be used as an intelligent
tool for transportation, but also can meet the requirements of
diverse postures and requirements for daily care in families
and hospitals [28].
Bed
Linear actuator
Gear
Linear actuator
Water pump
Linkage
In 2007, a mobile multi-functional nursing robot called
the “TWENDY-ONE” is developed by Waseda University
of Japan. Its appearance is similar to human’s appearance
and it is illustrated in Fig. (14). It has a full range of mobile
platform. The 13 sensors are installed in the robot’s hands so
that some subtle movements can be performed better. Figure
15 shows that the TWENDY-ONE has only four fingers, and
the six-axis force sensors are installed at its fingertips. The
soft skin is applied to the palm surface so that the touch is
more similar to the human body, and the distribution pres-
sure sensors are installed in the palm surface. Its arm is
shown in Fig. (16). This arm, which is equipped with the
torque motor, can pick or lift the patient. The TWENDY-
ONE is a complex non-linear humanoid nursing robot. The
TWENDY-ONE, equipped with a high power output driver,
can flexibly combine the high power output with the
mechanically impedance mechanism [30-32].

Leg lift unit Mecanum wheels

Fig. (12). Nursing bed CN201110239654.6.

The robot nursing bed is shown in Fig. (13). The bed

body includes the fixed L-shaped frame and the movable bed
frame. The space between the fixed bed frame and the mov-
able bed frame is used to store the motor drive mechanism
and the wheelchair. The movable bed can be opened or
closed by the rotation of the motor, and the wheelchair is
detachable. The motor can be controlled by the limit switch
and the control device, so that the movable bed can be ro-
tated. This robot nursing bed is reliable and easier to control,
and it has the advantages of small size, simple structure and
low failure rate [29].

Motor
Rotating arm Bedstead
Activity bedstead
Wheelchair Limit switch
Bedstock Motor device
Fig. (14). TWENDY-ONE, Waseda University, Japan.

Pressure controllable fingertip

Small 6-axis force sensors

Activity bedstead Wheels
Fig. (13). Structure of robot nursing bed CN201620022589.X.

3.3. Multi-Functional Mobile Nursing Robot

The independent nursing robot or nursing bed cannot Mechanically passive
meet the increasing nursing needs, because of the narrow contact
range of the application. As a result, the researchers develop Soft skins
the mobile nursing robot. Distributed pressure sensors
In 1980’s, Japan developed a nursing robot called the
“MEIKONG”, and this robot can help the patient get out of
bed by themselves. And the patient can also be seated in the
wheelchair so that the robot can take the patient wherever
they want to go. Fig. (15). TWENDY-ONE’s fingers.
48 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1
Movable flexible
joints
Crash safety
mechanism
Small 6-axis force sensors
Fig. (16). Structure of arm.
A robot called RIBA makes it possible for the patient to
get out of bed, so that the patient can hold the wheelchair.
However, its functional limitations prevented this robot from
being commercialized. Thus, the RIKEN-TRI Collaborative
Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (RTC) devel-
oped a new robot named RIBA-II, which is shown in Fig.
(17), and there are 10 degrees of range in its arm. The power
and new feature are added in the RIBA-II to overcome the
limitations of first generation. The RIBA-II is a dual-arm
robot, becoming the first robot to finish the clinical test.
There are some new joints in this robot, which is shown in
Fig. (18a). The two waist joints and the power-assisting
springs are installed in this robot. RIBA-II can adjust basic
action according to the height and weight of patients. Ini-
tially, the robot determines location by touch, and then it
gives a command to finish the movement and adjustment.
The control of movement, based on touch, is finished by the
mechanical model of a human that is illustrated in Fig. (18b).
The mathematical model of safety assessment is built on
posture, force, velocity, acceleration, comfort level and sign
of patients. The posture of patients can be analyzed by the
mathematical model and the mechanical model in real-time
so that the possible danger can be predicted in target track.
The track can also be corrected in real-time. Meanwhile,
BIRA-II can maintain stable posture thus the maximum con-
tact pressure and shear force are less than the bearing capac-
ity of patients. The advanced skin sensors, individually de-
veloped and researched by teamwork, are installed in RIBA-
II. This robot can perceive the state of patients, so that the
skin sensor can ensure the safe touch with patients. The
smart rubber sensors, made entirely out of rubber, are the
first capacitance-type tactile sensors. The sensors are in-
stalled in the robot’s arms and chest, so that its action can be
accurately guided. RIBA-II has a physical examination for
patients, so that the robot can ensure the health and safety of
patients [33].
Head
Right shoulder Left shoulder
Right arm
Left arm
Waist
Fig. (17). Appearance and joints of RIBA-II.
Jiang et al.
The PR2 was designed by the Georgia Institute of Tech-
nology. There are seven joints in two arms, and there is a
pair of manipulator at the rear of the arm. The joints and
other units of the PR2 are shown in Fig. (19). There are four
wheels installed at the bottom of PR2. Components of the
robot are mobility base, torso, manipulator, tray and sensor
carrier with sensors. This robot is driven by four wheels.
Each wheel’s orientation and rotational speed can be set in-
dividually. The wheel driver is installed in legs to ensure
safety and stability during manipulation. The base also in-
cludes the Li-Io battery pack, laser scanners and a PC for
navigation tasks. The size of the base is mainly defined by
the required battery space. It has been extended by 120mm to
increase the work area so that the manipulator can reach the
floor. Special attention was paid to the mounting of the arm
on the robot torso. The result is based on simulations for
finding the ideal work space covering the robot’s tray and
the floor. The quick-change system allows to attach different
manipulators, robotic hands or other tools to the arm. The 7-
DOF Schunk Dexterous-Hand has tactile sensors in its fin-
gers so that some complex gripping actions can be per-
formed [34].
Georgia Institute of Technology also has designed a nurs-
ing robot to help patients clean up their bodies, which is
shown in Fig. (20). A statically stable mobile manipulator is
used in this study. It is assembled at the Healthcare Robotics
Lab, and to perform the cleaning task. The designer paid
attention to designing these robotic arms, which have actua-
tors with low mechanical stiffness. The arms are made up of
two 7-DOF anthropomorphic arms with series of elastic plas-
tic, and the wrists are equipped with 6-axis force/torque sen-
sors. They designed a behavior for a robot to perform
autonomous wiping, and an operator-selection interface that
allows the operator to select the desired area for the robot to
clean. The robot can clean most of the debris (> 96%) from
the upper arm, the forearm, the thigh, and the shank. This is
the first step towards developing a robot that can autono-
mously perform bed baths for patients [35].
A home-care robot called “MARY” is developed by To-
hoku University, which is shown in Fig. (21). MARY has the
360 degree-panorama camera and the color-camera as the
eye-in-hand system. The stereo vision system of MARY is
made up of the cradle head and a pair of cameras. The arm
can carry an 8Kg payload. The gripper is equipped with a
touch sensor on its fingertip and it has an optical sensor be-
tween the fingers. The robot is powered by lead-acid batter-
ies. The operating time for intensive use is around two hours.
The frame of the robot is covered with foam casing so that
the robot and environment can be protected in the case of
collision. A tray, made of aluminum, is attached to the frame
and equipped with proximity switches [36]. A colored paper
on the tray is used as the background for image processing
and it can be easily changed to test different colors.
A transfer nursing robot is designed by the Japanese
Horse Shilu Corporation [37]. It is used to reduce nursing
burden. They designed the behavior for this robot to perform
nursing and moving, and enabled it possible to make the
operator walk and stand by themselves. The robot has three
parts. The part of M1 is the driving department. The driving
part is installed on the part of M2. The roll on the lifting, is
Nursing Robot Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 49

(a) Joints and other units of RIBA-II.


  



 


 

  



















 
(b) The mechanical model of RIBA-II.
Fig. (18). RIBA-II’s structure and the working principle.
3-DOF sensor head

Tilting sensor range

finder 4-DOF arm

Camera
Base laser range finder 1-DOF gripper

Servers

Steered and driven casters

Fig. (19). PR2. Fig. (20). Appearance and orientation of the 7 joint axes.

installed on the part of M3, which is the operating part.
These parts are shown in Fig. (22). A pair of arm-rolls and
the auxiliary part are installed on the main part of it. The
rotation members are arranged on the rotation body of the
auxiliary part and the arm can support the rotation members
in holding, for the purpose to ensure the stability and safety.
A nursing robot was developed by Fuji Machinery Co.,
Ltd. in 2014. And it is similar to their previous patent, devel-
oped in 2013. However, this patent is more perfect than the
one before, which is shown in Fig. (23). The robot is made
up of three parts: the holding part, the mobile operation part
and the correction part. The holding part and body ensure the
nursing in the case of operating. Furthermore, the holding
part can autonomously record and store the patient’s posture
from sitting to standing. The holding part is controlled by the
operator, who uses the mobile operation part to change the
posture of the patient. The correction part makes tiny ad-
justment, based on the previous stored posture. The move-
ment path of robot is constantly corrected by these three
parts so that the robot can efficiently and sustainably com-
plete finishing the nursing work [38-40].
50 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 Jiang et al.

Fig. (23). Structure of nursing robot.

The ideal posture of the forearm can be maintained in the

Fig. (21). Service robot MARY. seat, and is installed in the holding part [41]. The change of
the patient’s posture is shown in Fig. (24), and its movement
1-DOF linear is controlled by three parts of the robot.
Tilting laser actuator
range finder J0 Korean Institute of industrial technology developed an
Z auxiliary nursing robot, which is shown in Fig. (25a). The
J1
nursing robot for moving patients is made up of two main
7-DOF Y J2 parts: the supporting subject and the clamping element [41].
X
MEKA arms The supporting subject supports the top half of the patient.
J3
Computer
The clamping element can protect the patient and rotate the
system and supporting subject. There is a strut placed under the support-
controllers J4 ing subject to adjust the height of the robot. The researchers
J5 designed a behavior for this robot to perform transforming
Segway RMP and transporting, which makes it possible for the patient to
50 omni
maintain the most comfortable posture, and the working
J6
condition is shown in Fig. (25b). The robot minimizes the
Mecanum wheel physiological and psychological pressure of the nursing stuff
so that the heavy pressure can be relieved and the adminis-
Fig. (22). A transfer nursing robot CN201480056908.2. trative expense can be reduced.

Fig. (24). Patient posture is changed CN201480077584.0.

Nursing Robot
A nursing robot is invented by Harbin University of
Science and Technology [42]. The robot consists of the
auxiliary standing part, the auxiliary walking part and the
manned walking part. The robot is shown in Fig. (26). The
auxiliary standing part is made up of the slide board and
the supporting frame. The supporting frame which supports
the back is connected with the base-plate by the lead screw,
and the slide board is installed in the sliding rail of the
baseplate. The auxiliary walking part is composed of the
thrust rod of the seat plate, the sliding rail and the support-
ing rod of the armpit. The thrust rod of the seat plate is
connected with the sliding rail by the slider, and the sup-
porting rod of the armpit is installed in the supporting
frame. The manned walking part is made up of the wheels
and the seat plate. The auxiliary standing part is connected
with the auxiliary walking part by the lead screw, the pol-
ish rod and baseplate. The auxiliary walking part is con-
nected with the manned walking part by base-plate, the
slide plate and the seat plate. The nursing robot, by the
movable thrust rod, can autonomously adjust the different
height of patients.
Subject
First clamping
element
Hand shank
Second clamping
element
Drive
Brace
Truss
Moving unit
(a) Appearance structure.
First clamping
element
Second
clamping
element
(b) Working condition.
Fig. (25). Mobile robot for patient care CN201380001648.4.
A double joint nursing robot is invented, which is shown
in Fig. (27). This robot is designed to help the paralytic pa-
Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 51
tient to regain walking ability [43]. Two motors are installed
in the front of the baseplate. There are two sets of three-
claw-type wheel frames at the rear of the base-plate for in-
creasing the supporting area of the base-plate so that the ro-
bot can be used in narrow space. The single column, in-
stalled in the middle of the baseplate, is made up of two
flexible joints which imitate human joints. The lower joint is
the unit of knee joint, and the upper joint is the unit of hip
joint. There are chest and arm on the top of the single col-
umn. Initially, the double joints arm of the robot, driven by
the control system, encircles the waist of patients so that the
patient’s body can be tilted. Finally, the double joints of the
robot will straighten so that the patient can stand the base-
plate by themselves.
Overview and classification of nursing robot.
Patient
Nursing robot
Fig. (26). Robot for nursing service CN201520432677.2.
Body detector
switch Control
platform
Rotation axis
Cylinders
Conveyor Tilt unit
Motor
Belt pulley Belt pulley
Slide unit Motor
Board
Wheels
Fig. (27). Double joint nursing robot CN200610000233.0.
Tai-Kang Han invented a nursing robot, which is shown in
Fig. (28). The wheelchair is reasonably combined with the bed
so that this nursing robot can help the patient walk and sleep.
The supporting assembly, installed in the support structure,
includes a seat, a backrest, a leg plate, a foot plate, a first driv-
ing device and a second driving device. The seat is attached to
the supporting structure [44]. The first rotation shaft connects
the backrest with the other side of the seat; however, the leg
plate is connected with the opposite direction of the backrest
by the second rotation shaft. The foot plate is connected with
the rear of the leg plate by the third rotation shaft. The first
driving device is installed at the bottom of the seat, and both
sides of the driving device are connected with the backrest and
52 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 Jiang et al.

Thrusting rod of forearm

lifting plate Head plate
Underarm support rod Rack
Forearm lifting plate Support rod
Thrusting rod of Back support frame
underarm lifting plate
Support rod Underarm lifting
plate
Seat board frame Gear
Thrusting rod Back support frame
of seat board of driving motor
Mounting plate of
baseplate
Baseplate
Sliding plate Baseplate supporting
Left/right screw motor
Omni-directional
wheel Left/ right screw Left/right driving wheel

Fig. (28). Nurse robot US6742206.

the leg plate so that the device can drive them. The foot plate
is driven by the second driving device, which is installed at the
bottom of the leg plate. The patient can move it to any place
without any other person’s help.
Recently, researchers have inclined to study home-
nursing robots which belong to the multi-functional mobile
nursing robots. These robots are more specialized than
other nursing robots. The inventor successively developed
nursing robots for shampoo [45], for diet [46], for trans-
porting drug [47], and multi-functional home-nursing ro-
bots [48, 49].
A nursing robot for shampoo is invented by Li et al.,
which is shown Fig. (29). This robot solves the safety control
problem of the cleaning device on the existing shampoo ro-
bots, and it also guarantees the cleaning of the user’s home
[45]. This nursing robot adapts to any type of operator, and
ensures the cleaning effect of operator’s hair. The cleaning
device is installed within some sensors to detect the position
of the human head, and the moving mechanism is controlled
by the sensing signal.
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in-
vented a dietary nursing robot to feed the patients in 2017
[46]. Laser transmitter and laser sensor are installed in this
nursing robot. The laser transmitters are positioned at the
patient’s head for emitting a laser signal. The laser sensors
are positioned at a table with multiple bowls, and it receives
a laser signal and generates a corresponding sensing signal.
According to the sensing signal, the robot feeds the food to
the patients in the corresponding bowl.
In order to increase the amount of drug delivery and re-
duce the labor intensity of nursing staff, Wu et al. invented a
nursing robot for transporting drugs [47]. An intelligent
wheeled robot chassis and a column are installed in the mid-
dle of this robot. The rotatable mounting frame is installed at
the top of the column, and the frame consists of six sides and
a bottom surface for placing various types of medication.
Robot structure and top view of the frame are shown in Fig.
(30).
Guide rods Driven assembly

Chest care Connecting rod

Motor Frame

Knee unit

Fixed unit Stand

Chain Backrest
Arm
Actuating device

Chain Pivot
Lifting Bed Connector
refulator Base Hoist device Step plate Connector
Driven assembly
Fig. (30). Nursing robot for drug delivery CN201720018358.6.

In recent years, the multi-functional home-nursing robots

Motor Control box
Wheel
are generally similar in structure, and it mainly relies on the
sensor and the specific controller to nurse the patients. A
Fig. (29). Nursing robot for shampoo CN201710793011.3.
home-nursing robot is invented. It includes a shell, a head
Nursing Robot Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 53

and a smart bracelet. The specific function is equipped with
a heating tube and a dispenser. Thus, the drugs can be accu-
rately rationed according to the needs of the patient and the
elderly [48]. Guo invented the multi-functional nursing robot
equipped with a monitor and a human infrared detector. This
robot can measure the temperature of the human body in real
time and provide the infrared treatment scheme to patients
[49]. Dual-arm nursing robots have the poor flexibility and
the structure is complicated. In order to solve such problems,
Hebei University of Technology invented a width-adjustable
self-retraction arm mechanism for nursing robots [50]. This
mechanism is simple and compact, and it can automatically
adapt to any type of nursing robots.
Overview and classification of nursing robots are shown
in Table 1.
4. KEY PROBLEMS ON APPLICATION OF NURSING
ROBOT
Nursing robot, as a complete set of robot systems, is fac-
ing the current problems on three aspects: the design of
mechanical structure, the issue of control and humanization.
The mechanical structure plays a vital role in realizing
the whole function of the robot, and its stability and safety
could be directly affected by the reasonability of structure.
In the practical application, the multi-functional mobile
nursing robot should finish an action which picks up the
patient, therefore, the robot is provided with greater power
by the torque motor. This motor could save energy, reduce
volume and weight; however, the cost of the motor will
increase. Additionally, when it comes to the design of the
double-arm robot, its arm-moving path plan is difficult and
the development progress is slow. In terms of the future
development of the robot, the issues of quality, cycle and
cost exist in the mechanical structure. To sum up, the
nursing robot should be more reliable and safer in the de-
sign structuring aspects.
At present, there are still problems in the aspect of con-
trolling robot. In order to improve the intelligence of the
nursing robot, a variety of sensors are installed. The different
information collected by these sensors, is analyzed by the
controller, so that the judgement can be informed by the con-
troller. The stability of the controlling system will be tested
whether the system informs a series of correct instructions
when the robot realizes some functions on the coordination
between these sensors and the controller.
The humanization design is essential because the nursing
robot belongs to service robot, and its main service targets
and operators are people. The nursing robot can be con-
trolled by speech recognition or gesture manipulation when
the patient’s action is inconvenient. The nursing robot,
equipped with cameras, can achieve remote monitoring of
patient so that the camera can shorten the distance between
patients and nursing stuff. The principle of humanization can
help nursing robots strengthen its serving ability for the pa-
tient and improve efficiency for assisting the nursing stuff.
Therefore, the designer should also pay attention to the prin-
ciple of humanization on the basis of the problem on struc-
ture and control. With the rapid development of all disci-
plines, the designer can combine the advanced technology
with the nursing robot, which improves the ability for nurs-
ing the patient.

Table 1. Overview and Classification of Nursing Robot.

Robot Type Publication, Year Characteristic Code or Source

Yanshan University, 2016 [15, 16]
Modular symmetrical transport robot
CN201611218398.1

Reduce the labor intensity of nursing person
CN201611218489.5

National Chiao Tung
Automatically send the distress signal

University, 2015 [2]
Install radar rangefinder to autonomous obstacle

ROLA
avoidance

Speech recognition and natural dialogue function

Independent Suyocon Company, China, 2013
Realize independent nursing

nursing
Wash buttock and collect deodorize
XFCS-A
robot
Automatic identification

Panasonic Company, Japan, 2013
Rechargeable battery

Monitor and drug storage box
HOSPI-R

Load 20kg and speed of 1m/s in maximum

Toshiba Company, Japan, 2005
Multiple microphones

Advanced image and vision device
References

Small size to easily carry

Table (1) contd….

54 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 Jiang et al.

Robot Type Publication, Year Characteristic Code or Source

Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kai-
Moveable members
US20150335505

sha, Japan, 2015, 2015, 2017 [25-27]
The patient lying in the bed can change their positive
EP3162345
effortlessly
WO2015199137

Beihua University, China, 2016 [21]
Realize self-nursing

CN201610815606.X

Starting unit, stand up unit and collection unit

He and Sheyang, 2016 [22]
Combine bed with wheelchair

Wheelchair can be separated from the bed body
US9295596

Conversion process is simple

Qing J.H., 2016 [29]
Fixed L-shaped frame and movable bed frame

CN201620022589.X

Small size and simply mechanical structure

Henan University of Science and
A nursing robot bath cabin system

Technology, China, 2015 [23]
Assist patient to standing, rubbing and shampoo
Master's Thesis

Auxiliary standing mechanism,

Shanghai University of Engineering
Two operation modes

Science, 2015 [11]
Automatically support patient back and leg
Master's Thesis
Rehabilitation
Office and dinner function
nursing
robot bed Li et al., 2012 [20]
Three horizontal boards consist bed

Power by hydraulic cylinder
CN201210013875.6

Solve the issue of defecation

Nanchang University, China, 2011
Two-bed structure and right trapezoid framework
[28]
Back-supporting part, leg-supporting part and hip-
CN201110239654.6
supporting part

Shen Y.Y., 2005 [24]
Conveying mechanism

Backrest lifting device
CN200510046143.7

Toilet sliding device

Metrocare Company, 2010 [17]
Reduce the labor intensity of the paramedic

Production’s size based on the principles of ergonomic
References
planning

Devicelink Company,
Combine the bed with wheelchair

United States, 2005 [18]
Nursing bed can transform from a bed into a
References
wheelchair, and vice versa

Paramount Company, Japan,
Reduce the patient's position deviation

Gakusho Z series
2014 [19]
Automatically adjust bed movements

Guo X.F., 2018 [48]
Smart bracelet

CN201711023613.7

Heating tube and dispenser

Li et al., 2017 [45]
Shampoo head nursing robot

CN201710793011.3
Multi-
Adapt any shape of head of operators
functional
mobile nurs- University of Shanghai for Science
Laser transmitter
ing robot and Technology, 2017 [46]
Laser sensor
CN201710128312.4

Automated feed to patients

Wu Y.C., Chen J., 2017 [47]
Intelligent wheeled robot chassis

CN201720018358.6

Rotatable mounting frame

Table (1) contd….

Nursing Robot
Robot Type Publication, Year
Huang H.F., 2017 [49]
Harbin University of Science and
Technology, 2015 [42]
Tokai Rubber Industries,
Japan, 2015 [33]
Japanese Horse Shilu Corporation,
2014 [37]
Fuji Machinery Co., Ltd.,
2014 [38-40]
Tohoku University, 2013 [36]
Multi- Korean Institute of Industrial
functional Technology, 2013 [41]
mobile nurs-
ing robot

Ulrich Reiser et al.,
2009 [36]
Waseda University,
Japan, 2007 [30-32]
Liu Feng, 2006 [43]
Tai-Kang Han, 2004 [44]
Georgia Institute of Technology,
2009 [34]
Georgia Institute of Technology,
2010 [35]


CONCLUSION
Nursing robots integrate various actuation mechanisms,
sensors, and control strategies with the sole purpose of
improving patients’ nursing condition. This paper concludes
the current challenges in terms of reliability, safety, and
Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1 55
Characteristic Code or Source

Monitor and human infrared detector

CN201710540820.3

Infrared treatment scheme

Auxiliary standing part and manned walking part

Supporting frame
CN201520432677.2

Autonomously adjust the different height of patient

Lift people (weighing up to 80kg) off the floor and onto
a bed
RIBA-II

Arms and hands are as soft as possible

Driving department (M1)

Driving part (M2)
CN201480056908.2

Operating part (M3)

Record and store the patient’s posture from sitting to
CN201380076990.0
standing

CN201380072426.1

Correction part makes tiny adjustment based on the

CN201480077584.0
previous stored posture

360 Degrees panorama camera

Stereo vision system
MARY

Lead-acid batteries

The supporting subject and the clamping element

Minimize physiological and psychological pressure of
CN201380001648.4
the nursing stuff

7-DOF Schunk Dexterous-Hand

Laser scanners and PC
Care-O-bot R3

Li-Io battery pack

Humanoid robot and soft skin

13 Sensors are installed in the robot’s hands

TWENDY-ONE

Six-axis mechanical sensors is installed in its four
fingertips

Two motor-driven

CN200610002233

Help the paralytic patient to recover walking

Help the patient in walking and sleeping

The patient can move to any place without any other
US674220 6
person’s help

Seven joints in two 4-DOF arms

3-DOF sensor head
PR2

Tilting sensor range finder

Two 7-DOF anthropomorphic arms

6-Axis force/torque sensors
IRB

Cleaning range is greater than 96%
current challenges in terms of reliability, safety, and intelli-
gence by classifying, contrasting and analyzing various nurs-
ing robots. There is still room for improvement and optimi-
zation of all these issues, therefore, more patents and ex-
periments on the nursing robot will be invented and re-
56 Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering 2018, Vol. 11, No. 1
searched in the future work. This paper functions as a mean-
ingful reference for the development of nursing robots and
nursing career. We will focus on reviewing and discussing
control strategies and algorithm of the nursing robot in the
future study.
CURRENT & FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
As the number of elderly people is increasing, and most
of the elderly are accompanied by the pain of the disease,
they need the companionship and care of the nursing staff.
However, the traditional modes of nursing have been unable
to meet the nursing needs of all elderly people. Therefore,
the development and research of nursing robots is crucial,
and it can make great contribution to society and the country,
then relieve social pressure.
After the above discussion, the nursing robot is develop-
ing rapidly, and the research of the nursing robot, carried out
in Europe and America, is earlier than other countries. The
research, development and application of the nursing robot
have reached the world leading level although the research of
robot started relatively late in Japan. The nursing robot is a
combination of multi-disciplines, therefore, there are many
problems to be solved. New challenges in the development
of the nursing robot arise concerning how to reduce its
manufacturing costs, ensure its safety and reliability and
improve its level of Human-Machine interaction. Addition-
ally, the nursing robot can fix the physical damage of pa-
tients, and how to treat the patient with psychological mental
illness still need to be studied.
At present, the nursing robot complies with the develop-
ment of the times and accords with the practical needs of the
modern society, and it represents the advance of medical
technology. Similarly, the service robot, as an important
branch in the direction of modern robots, its number will
exceed industrial robots in the near future. Nursing robots,
part of the high-tech service industry in the new century, will
effectively promote the country’s economic growth and be-
come the sunrise industry in the world. The development of
service robots is a great opportunity for the intellectual tech-
nology industry in the world, and this industry has important
strategic significance for improving the competitiveness of
the country.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
DOF = Degree of Freedom
RTC = RIKEN-TRI Collaborative Center for Human-
Interactive Robot Research
CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION
Not applicable.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflict of interest, financial or
otherwise.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by the Heilongjiang Prov-
ince Education Bureau Project (Grant No. 12541147), China
Jiang et al.
Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M591538),
Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No.
LBH-Z16091), and Science Funds for the Young Innovative
Talents of HUST (Grant No. 201509).
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