Use of Socially Assistive Robots in Physiotherapy: Scoping Review.
Jiaxin He, Melanie K Farlie, Pamela Carreno-Medrano
PMID 40902077WHAT IT FOUND
13 studies mostly used humanoid robots, especially NAO, to coach, demonstrate, monitor, or encourage during physiotherapy.
Several were small, many did not measure clinical outcomes, so the evidence does not show what patient benefits these robots can deliver.
Key findings
01The review included 13 studies that used socially assistive robots during physiotherapy with clinical populations.
02Humanoid robots, especially NAO, were the main platforms, and most studies reported speech and motion as robot-to-user communication.
03Seven included studies did not report clinical outcomes, and only five used a control group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The review is a scoping review, so it maps what has been done rather than pooling treatment effects. Only 13 studies were included, and many were small, short, or pilot-like. Only five studies used a control group, so it is hard to separate robot effects from usual therapy or attention. Seven studies did not report clinical outcomes, user performance, or functional measures. Many studies did not report robot autonomy, technical support, or communication channels from users to robots. Physiotherapists and clinical populations were often not involved in robot or protocol design. One reviewer led most screening, extraction, and synthesis, which could introduce bias. Robot technical problems, system readiness, overheating, limited exercise variety, and missed sessions were reported in some studies.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the positive acceptance and motivation reports as proof that socially assistive robots improve physiotherapy outcomes. Several studies reported small samples, many did not measure clinical function, and only five used a control group.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →