Robotics in Healthcare
Robotic assistance within the healthcare sector is expected to be an integral component to address the upcoming challenges due to societal changes such as:
- An aging population, leading to an increasing demand of health care services;
- increasing health care expenditures due to progressing therapy options;
- decrease in the number of well-qualified health care sector staff.
Healthcare robotics related research and development activities are well established in Aachen and the EUREGIO region. Based on the close relationship between the faculties of RWTH Aachen University, one of Europe’s leading technical universities, and the medical faculty at the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, numerous research projects have led to new and innovative robotic solutions, contributed to economic development and even given rise to new start-up companies within the region.
However, achieving sufficient technological readiness levels (TRL) to transform robotic concepts into benefit for patients and healthcare personal is difficult; it requires numerous interdisciplinary competencies and extensive resources.
In addition, it is also of uttermost importance to permanently identify, where (new) robotic solutions are needed, reasonable and if there are feasible.
The aim of the Center for Robotics in Healthcare (CRH) is to tackle those challenges and to catalyze innovation. The CRH brings together people from diverse backgrounds, organizes resources and polls end-users needs.
