Integrating Humanoid Robots in Stroke Rehabilitation: Practitioners' Expectations and Insights

Abstract

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Rehabilitation, though effective, remains a highly resource-intensive process. Integrating assistive robots into cur-rent practices holds significant potential to enhance therapeutic outcomes by addressing workforce limitations and personal-izing care. This stakeholder engagement study explored the perspectives and concerns of physiotherapists and occupational therapists on implementing humanoid robots in stroke reha-bilitation. Drawing insights from this exploratory consultation with stroke rehabilitation experts in the United Kingdom, key directions for future robot development in stroke care were identified. Clinicians expressed enthusiasm about the potential for robots to mitigate workforce shortages, especially for upper limb rehabilitation, and highlighted the importance of robots' ability to analyze patients' motor dynamics, track progress over sessions, and operate autonomously with minimal supervision. Key concerns included the current biomechanical limitations of humanoid robots, doubts about their ability to rehabilitate patients with cognitive impairments, and operational challenges related to setup and use.