Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37434236›Full record

ArticleBMC medical informatics and decision making2023

How can social robot use cases in healthcare be pushed - with an interoperable programming interface.

Robin Glauser, Jürgen Holm, Matthias Bender, Thomas Bürkle

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Robin GlauserInstitute for Medical Informatics BFH, Berne University of Applied Sciences, Höheweg 80, CH, 2502, Biel, Switzerland. robin.glauser@bfh.ch.ORCID 0000-0003-0229-4375
Jürgen HolmInstitute for Medical Informatics BFH, Berne University of Applied Sciences, Höheweg 80, CH, 2502, Biel, Switzerland.
Matthias BenderInstitute for Medical Informatics BFH, Berne University of Applied Sciences, Höheweg 80, CH, 2502, Biel, Switzerland.
Thomas BürkleInstitute for Medical Informatics BFH, Berne University of Applied Sciences, Höheweg 80, CH, 2502, Biel, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionResearch into current robot middleware has revealed that most of them are either too complicated or outdated. These facts have motivated the development of a new middleware to meet the requirements of usability by non-experts. The proposed middleware is based on Android and is intended to be placed over existing robot SDKs and middleware. It runs on the android tablet of the Cruzr robot. Various toolings have been developed, such as a web component to control the robot via a webinterface, which facilitates its use.

methodsThe middleware was developed using Android Java and runs on the Cruzr tablet as an app. It features a WebSocket server that interfaces with the robot and allows control via Python or other WebSocket-compatible languages. The speech interface utilizes Google Cloud Voice text-to-speech and speech-to-text services. The interface was implemented in Python, allowing for easy integration with existing robotics development workflows, and a web interface was developed for direct control of the robot via the web.

resultsThe new robot middleware was created and deployed on a Cruzr robot, relying on the WebSocket API and featuring a Python implementation. It supports various robot functions, such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, navigation, displaying content and scanning bar codes. The system's architecture allows for porting the interface to other robots and platforms, showcasing its adaptability. It has been demonstrated that the middleware can be run on a Pepper robot, although not all functions have been implemented yet. The middleware was utilized to implement healthcare use cases and received good feedback.

conclusionCloud and local speech services were discussed in regard to the middleware's needs, to run without having to change any code on other robots. An outlook on how the programming interface can further be simplified by using natural text to code generators has been/is given. For other researchers using the aforementioned platforms (Cruzr, Pepper), the new middleware can be utilized for testing human-robot interaction. It can be used in a teaching setting, as well as be adapted to other robots using the same interface and philosophy regarding simple methods.

Indexed as

RoboticsDelivery of Health CareHealth FacilitiesHumansSocial InteractionSpeechAndroidCruzrHealthcareInterfaceJavaMiddlewarePepperPythonRoboticsROSSoftbanksStudentsTeachingUbtechWebsocket

Identifiers

PMID37434236
PMCPMC10337241

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.