Robots have been put to the test in hospitals, with Scottish researchers reporting that the socially-assistive machines can understand patient needs, answer questions and ultimately ease pressure on staff.

As part of the Data-Drive Innovation initiative aiming to turn Edinburgh into the ‘data capital of Europe’, Heriot-Watt University partnered with a team in Paris to test socially assistive robots in a healthcare setting.

The researchers found that these ‘next-generation’ robots can successfully ease pressure on hospital staff by helping patients alleviate their anxiety.

As part of the trial in Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris conducted with researchers from the UK’s National Robotarium, the robots were equipped with advanced artificial intelligence to enable natural conversations.

Scottish government Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Secretary, Neil Gray, said he welcomes this progress to “ease the pressure” on healthcare staff.

Researchers report that the robots were able to ‘smoothly engage’ in social interactions like greeting patients and providing directions.

In the Socially Assistive Robots in Gerontological (SPRING) healthcare trial, the robots were able to assist hospital staff with routine tasks for elderly patient volunteers.

With these findings, Professor of AI and academic co-lead at the National Robotarium, Oliver Lemon, said:

“Today's rapid advances in AI are truly inspiring and open up a world of possibilities for its positive impact on various sectors, including healthcare.

“One of the most significant contributions of robotics and AI is its ability to conserve resources and alleviate human workload, therefore providing valuable new tools for enhancing healthcare delivery.

“The prospect of robots seamlessly collaborating with hospital staff to enhance the patient experience is now closer to reality.”

Early feedback suggests adopting socially assistive robots may also lower infection transmission risk while lightening nurses and doctors’ workload by reducing additional physical contact between patients and clinicians.

UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said:

“The early trials into helper robots successfully demonstrates the great potential such advanced technology has to deliver vital support to health staff, improve patient care and prevent the spread of infections and diseases.”

Combatting hospital anxiety

With anxiety and uncertainty often preceding a hospital visit, particularly among senior patients, ‘helpful and socially intelligent’ robots that can answer initial screening questions in busy clinical settings could prove ‘extremely beneficial’.

This hospital trial comes months after a University of Glasgow-led study found that social robots could be an effective tool for combatting loneliness as conversational partners.

Now, Professor Lemon says these “promising” initial trails have demonstrated the ability of these robots to converse effectively with patients and their companions simultaneously.

This is critical, according to Heriot-Watt researchers, as the robots are ‘quickly demonstrating an ability to comprehend multi-party conversations’ by following dialogue between several individuals.

Academics at the National Robotarium have made ‘major advances’ in large language models to enable  natural and fluent conversations between robots and groups of people, making their implementation in healthcare settings possible.

Professor Anne-Sophie Rigaud, Head of Department at Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, said with their capacity for social interaction and guidance, social robots could become an “essential element” of patient care in the future.

Professor Riguad added that patient feedback has been positive so far:

“Our patients are increasingly interested in robotics and the evolution of hospital services, which they see as the logical evolution of our society.

“Older adults have also expressed that they’re pleased with the design of the robot and thought that it would be useful to provide information and companionship to patients with cognitive disorders.”

The European Union-funded Horizon 2020 SPRING project received €8.4m to support collaboration across Heriot-Watt University, the National Robotarium and Europe.

Professor Lemon added:

“We believe that the SPRING project marks a significant milestone in the development of interactive robotics, and we are proud of its achievements, while recognising the exciting challenges that lie ahead.”

Read more: Scotland's doctors ‘trying not to lose hope’; Scots women at the forefront of medical sciences; Award for “pioneering” Scots 3D bone scaffold research; Biomarkers can improve melanoma patient care; Pain assessments meet AI in Scotland's care homes

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