The intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and healthcare is gaining prominence, particularly the use of socially assistive robots (SARs). Indeed, robots like SARs can be seen as one of the emerging forms of digital therapeutics (DTx) tools aimed at improving patient care and engagement through technology, alongside things like mobile phones, wearables, smart home devices, etc. This shift is potentially transformative for human health.

SARs, as a DTx tool, can benefit patients directly through their interactive capabilities. They can also be a beneficial asset to broader “Digital Health” (DH) systems since data gathered from sensors onboard the robot can help identify in-home behaviors, activity patterns and health status of patients remotely. Furthermore, linking the robotic sensor data to other DH system components (e.g., mobile phones, wearables, smart home devices, virtual reality) can enable the SAR to function as part of an Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, creating a broader long-term picture of patient health outcomes in daily life beyond the clinic.

In 2021, $57.2 billion was invested in DH systems around the world, recognizing the promise this concept holds for aiding in delivery and care management. DH systems traditionally include a blend of various technologies, AI and physiological biomarkers, which combined have the potential to provide support for individuals with a broad array of health conditions. DTx is a more specific set of technology-enabled interventions within the broader DH sphere intended to produce a measurable therapeutic effect. DTx tools can empower both patients and healthcare providers, informing the course of treatment through data-driven interventions while collecting data in real-time.

The main challenge with social robots within DH systems is that the sheer volume and limited oversight of different robotic platforms is hindering validation efforts (from technical, clinical, system and privacy standpoints), thus consequently slowing widespread adoption of SARs as treatment tools. The goal of this Research Topic is to solicit contributions that demonstrate the use of social robots in DH applications, either via empirical research studies or via proposed theoretical solutions.

Authors are encouraged to submit papers that contribute to advancing the integration of social robots with other DH components, such as mobile phones, wearables, smart home devices, and virtual reality, to enhance the overall understanding of patient health outcomes.

This Research Topic also aims to gather research and insights that focus on overcoming the obstacles related to validating and adopting technologies for DTx in general, particularly concerning technical, clinical, system and privacy aspects.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Utilization of SARs as Digital Therapeutics (DTx) tools for patient care
• Role of robotic sensors in monitoring in-home behaviors, activity patterns, and health status
• Linking SARs with other DH components like mobile phones, wearables, smart home devices, and virtual reality
• Enhancing patient health outcomes through the integration of SARs with mobile technology, wearables, and other smart devices
• Proposing and testing new theoretical frameworks for better integration of SARs in DH
• Integration of SARs with IoT in Healthcare
• Advantages of real-time data collection and analysis from interconnected DH systems
• Potential of AI in providing data-driven interventions for patient treatment
• Addressing the volume and oversight limitations of diverse platforms
• Overcoming technical, clinical, system, and privacy obstacles to enhance validation and adoption
• Addressing privacy concerns associated with the integration of SARs and other DH technologies
• Proposing theoretical solutions to enhance SAR functionality within DH systems

Manuscript types considered for publication include:
Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research manuscripts; t
Theoretical, conceptual and philosophical manuscripts;
Brief reports;
Practice perspectives;
Intervention protocols and systematic/scoping/meta-analysis literature reviews

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Submit your idea

Impact