Vital Measurement Based on Body Contact with Care Robots

Abstract

For staffs of nursing institutes, taking vital signals of residents is one of the most time-consuming tasks, and it is expected to be supported by robots. In this study, we propose a system that uses a robot arm mounted on the top of the head of an autonomous mobile robot to bring the robot's vital measurement device closer to the patient. The robot calculates the three-dimensional position of the patient's hand from depth sensors and image analysis, and lowers the robot arm close to the hand. A blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensor and a pressure sensor are affixed to the gripping handle at the end of the robot arm, and measurements are taken while ensuring that the sensor is touching the finger. As an experiment for use in a facility, we had healthy adults to be taken vital signals in four different postures (standing, end sitting on a chair, end sitting on a wheelchair, and long sitting on a bed), and searched for conditions in which subjects could take measurements by simply holding out their hands in a comfortable posture.