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Robotics has slowly entered every domain where progress-imposed activities/ actions that were beyond the natural capabilities of humans. The most relevant example in this sense is the industry with all its branches where the higher and higher level of quality and output capacity have imposed the use of specialized devices that could perform faster and more reliable. However, there are other fields of work, where classical industrial robots cannot be integrated, imposing the development of personalized, dedicated solution which would fit perfectly a certain task. Such case is the medical field where, especially when talking about direct interaction between the robot and the patient, the robot will never act based on pre-defined programs but rather as an advanced, highly capable, accurate and safe human controlled device. Making a generic comparison between an industrial manufacturing process where robots have been introduced to increase the productivity and thus the financial efficiency, in medicine the main purpose of a robotic device is to improve the quality of life for the patient. One of the most difficult tasks is to properly identify the medical areas where the need of robotics is most dire and then, to find development solutions that will lead towards efficient medical outcomes. One of the major changes with multiple implications in the field of healthcare is represented by the demographic changes of the population. More specifically, Europe is facing an increase of the life expectancy whereas, if in 2008 the population aged over 65 represented something around 17% this will increase to over 30% by 2060 while the population aged over 80 will shift from 4.4% to over 12% (EUROSTAT projections). Even on national level, a comparison between the last two demographic evaluations there is a reported increase of over 20% of the elderly population (aged over 60). While it is clear that the elderly population has a greater tendency towards different medical conditions, the healthcare system will slowly become incapable of providing proper care for all the patients, while aiming towards a continuous increase of the life quality. On the positive side, some of the existing studies have already raised these issues and solutions are thought to prepare the society for the future. The European Commission through the Eurobotics AIBSL forum has identified three major areas of interest where robotics would play an important role in medicine: Clinical robotics: robotic systems that interact directly with the patient supporting the “care” and “cure” processes. Rehabilitation: robotic system that would interact with the patient in order to enhance a recovery process or act as a replacement for a lost function. Assistive robotics: refer to secondary aspects related to the medical process, providing assistance to the healthcare givers of the patients.
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