Robots are whirring away in factories all over the world, building cars, phones and cookers. Yet they can do so much more. Robotics for healthcare has been tipped as the next big wave, and Europe should be poised to ride it, according to a European road-mapping study.

One area particularly ripe for robotics is healthcare, according to Arjan Rensma of the Dutch innovation organisation TNO, which he says could be worth anywhere from €40 billion upwards depending on which study you read.

And the reason for all this excitement? It's simple economics: robot helpers promise sustainable and affordable health provision without compromising on the quality of care. The attraction for authorities trying to plan for increasingly ageing societies is palpable. 

"Existing technologies like the surgical robot called Da Vinci show that it can be done," says Rensma. But Europe needs a clear road map to transform the current R&D effort - described by experts as still in its infancy - into a leading robotics for healthcare (R4H) movement, he suggests.

The R4H field is very much alive in Europe, according to the World Technology Evaluation Center (WTEC) technology report, with sufficient critical mass to take it forward, but there is a disconnect between R&D prototypes and commercial rollout.

"One of the biggest barriers in the commercialisation of robotics for care is the way healthcare systems are currently funded," notes Rensma. This is a serious and complex challenge, he says, and more effort is needed to overcome it.

It is not a question of throwing more money at just any robotics application, he suggests. "More user involvement is needed to develop the 'right' robotic applications... [starting] with relatively 'easy' applications while keeping an eye on the complex ones in the future." 

 

Further information:

• Full story - CORDIS -  ICT results - Features  
• R4H Roadmap for robotics in healthcare
• Completed studies on eHealth issues - European Commission - Europa website