Are Robots About To Enter The Healthcare Workforce?

Technology in healthcare is perhaps at its most valuable in areas where skills shortages are at their strongest. Nowhere is this perhaps more so than in social care, so it's interesting to read the latest research briefing from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), which looks at the use of robotic technology in social care. The report suggests that whilst the need for support in the sector is considerable, it remains far from certain whether robots can play a leading role in plugging that gap.
"Many of the robots and robotic devices developed for social care appear to still be at the conceptual or design phase," the authors say. "A key question is whether robots and robotic technology can integrate into existing social care environments, and with current technology, or replace them altogether."