The use of robotics in hospitals – despite its futuristic associations – has been practiced for decades. The 1980s can be looked back on as the dawn of hospital robotics, where two key developments began simultaneously. The dawn of surgical robots saw researchers in California use newly available industrial robots to aid them in performing image-guided brain biopsies. Meanwhile, hospital planners – noticing productivity-focused innovation in the automotive industry –  began exploring how robots might help improve the running of a hospital. During this time, one of the first hospital robotic delivery fleets was deployed at the University of Michigan’s Medical Centre, and was capable of running more than 700 errands each day, delivering drugs and equipment directly throughout the hospital via a dedicated robot elevator. The early developments seen over this period represent consistent themes in hospital robotics through to the present day: clinical care, logistics, and patient and staff support. 

From the 1980s, developments in healthcare robotics were relatively slow and stable. A key breakthrough happened at the turn of the century, with the FDA approval of the da Vinci surgical robot system by Intuitive Surgical in 2000, which enabled complex minimally invasive surgeries. This system has benefitted surgeons as well as patients, enabling surgeons to work more precisely with less strain. and reducing pain, recovery times and stay durations for patients by minimising the site trauma required for a procedure. Additionally, the reduced human contact during surgery, small incision sizes required, and reduced quicker recoveries and discharge all help to reduce risks of both surgical site infections (SSI) and healthcare associated infections (HCAI).  

The rise in computational power and artificial intelligence over the past decade, alongside widespread public and private investment in robotic infrastructure across scales, means we are at an exciting inflection point. The field of robotics has greatly diversified, with robotic systems becoming more cost-effective, and increasingly applicable across a variety of healthcare roles and services. The question for healthcare designers, then, is how to integrate this rapidly expanding field into hospitals in ways that can respond to both the daily and long-term pressures of healthcare provision.

Human-robot interactions

Hospital design should not only consider the different scales at which robotics can be integrated; it must also absorb questions about human behaviour and how the same space will be used by a range of occupants. Firstly, architects need to consider how interactions between humans and robots should be structured. As Julie Shah and Laura Major propose in What to Expect When You’re Expecting Robots, we need to think of robots not as adversaries but as social entities that we should learn to work alongside; we are designing ‘not for but with’ robotics. Designing ‘with’ is a powerful concept; robots should be geared towards solving some of the core problems facing healthcare provision and improving the experience of a hospital for those who use it. To do this requires a social shift towards the acceptance of these systems – one built on trust and a widespread knowledge of how these systems work.

Secondly, the broadening of what – and who – we are designing for engages with questions of accessibility. By thinking about how robots and people might work best together, a more nuanced and resilient design strategy emerges. Interestingly, an accessibility-led approach is often compatible with designing for robotics: both challenge our assumptions about how space is interpreted and navigated. Hands-free and step-free access, well-lit corridors, and clear wayfinding are all design decisions that improve mobility for humans and robots alike (as well as reduce the spread of pathogens via surface contact). Ultimately, these design choices are often mutually beneficial to robots and people.

Full article: Hospital Robotics: Designing for the Future of Healthcare