For years, the U. S. has experienced a shortage of registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that while the number of nurses will increase by 19 percent by 2022, demand will grow faster than supply, and that there will be over one million unfilled nursing jobs by then.
So what's the solution? Robots.
Japan is ahead of the curve when it comes to this trend. Toyohashi University of Technology has developed Terapio, a robotic medical cart that can make hospital rounds, deliver medications and other items. It follows a specific individual, such as a doctor or nurse, who can use it to record and access patient data. This type of robot will likely to be one of the first to be implemented in hospitals because it has fairly minimal patient contact.
A robot's appearance affects It's ability to successfully interact with humans, which is why the RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research decided to develop a robotic nurse called Acntroid F. It is so human-like that some patients may not know the difference. This conversational robot companion has cameras in It's eyes, which allow it to track patients and use appropriate facial expressions and body language in It's interactions. During a month-long hospital trial, researchers asked 70 patients how they felt being around the robot and "only three or four said they didn't like having it around".
It's important to note that robotic nurses don't decide courses of treatment or make diagnoses. Instead, they perform routine and laborious tasks, freeing nurses up to attend to patients with immediate needs. This is one industry where it seems the interaction of robots will lead to collaboration, not replacement.
