ARNA, a Service robot for Nursing Assistance: System Overview and User Acceptability

Using robots capable of collaboration with humans to complete physical tasks in unstructured spaces is a rapidly growing approach to work. Particular examples where increased levels of automation can increase productivity include robots used as nursing assistants. In this paper, we present a mobile manipulator designed to serve as an assistant to nurses in patient walking and patient sitting tasks in hospital environments. The Adaptive Robotic Nursing Assistant (ARNA) robot consists of an omnidirectional base with an instrumented handlebar, and a 7-DOF robotic arm. We describe its components and the novelties in its mechanisms and instrumentation. Experiments with human subjects that gauge the usability and ease of use of the ARNA robot in a medical environment indicate that the robot will get significant actual usage, and are used as a basis for a discussion on how the robot's features facilitate its adaptability for use in other scenarios and environment.

I. Introduction

According to the International Federation for Robotics (IFR), with an average year-on-year sales growth rate of 21% between 2017 and 2021, robots that support a human in providing a service as opposed through automation, these robots are in high demand [1]. Of the varied fields in which service robots are used, those used in manufacturing including Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs) for logistics support and inspection and maintenance, and medical robots for assisted surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation have the fastest growth with 41% and 50% increase in their sales between 2017 and 2018. Service robots for use in domestic environment are also another notably rising group.