This review demonstrates advancements in robot design and human-robot interaction for effective patient transportation in healthcare, indicating further research opportunities.
Robots and artificial intelligence have revolutionized the healthcare sector. Patient transportation within hospitals is emerging as a critical application; however, reducing errors and inefficiencies caused by human intervention and ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable movement of patients are necessary. This study provides a comprehensive review of research and technological trends in healthcare robotics, focusing on the design, algorithms, and applications of following robots for patient transportation. We examine foundational robotic algorithms, sensor and navigation technologies, and human–robot interaction techniques that enable robots to safely follow patients and assist medical personnel. Additionally, we survey the evolution of transportation robots across industries and highlight current research on hospital-specific following robots. Finally, we survey the current research and trends in following robots and robots for patient transportation to assist medical personnel in real-world healthcare applications. A comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the design and application of following robots can be pivotal to guiding future research on following robots and laying the foundation for their commercialization in healthcare.
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Jung et al. (2025) studied this question.
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