Robot-Mediated Physical Human–Human Interaction in Rehabilitation: A Position Paper
Neurorehabilitation conventionally relies on the interaction between a patient and a physical therapist. Robotic systems can improve and enrich the physical feedback provided to patients after neurological injury, but they under-utilize the adaptability and clinical expertise of trained therapists. In this position paper, we advocate for a novel approach that integrates the therapist's clinical expertise and nuanced decision-making with the strength, accuracy, and repeatability of robotics: Robot-mediated physical Human-Human Interaction. This framework, which enables two individuals to physically interact through robotic devices, has been studied across diverse research groups and has recently emerged as a promising link between conventional manual therapy and rehabilitation robotics, harmonizing the strengths of both approaches. Although current findings are largely based on pilot studies and conceptual frameworks, integrating therapists' expertise with the functionalities offered by robotic systems represents a promising direction for improving rehabilitation outcomes. This paper presents the rationale of a multidisciplinary team-including engineers, doctors, and physical therapists-for conducting research that utilizes: a unified taxonomy to describe robot-mediated rehabilitation, a framework of interaction based on social psychology, and a technological approach that makes robotic systems seamless facilitators of natural human-human interaction.
Authors
- José L. Pons (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0265-0181)
- Fabian Just (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9580-8189)
- Natacha León
- Scott J. Clark
- Alberto Cantón (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4119-5720)
- Manuel Murie-Fernández (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2185-4350)
- C Roman
- Alessandra Pedrocchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9957-2786)
- Alessia Noccaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0865-4992)
- Kilian Baur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3106-3050)
- Christopher J. Hasson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9851-0919)
- Domen Novak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9143-2682)
- Georg Rauter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9089-8181)
- Julia Manczurowsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4540-8387)
- Nevio Luigi Tagliamonte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5595-7481)
- Marta Gandolla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5237-714X)
- Matthew R. Short (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5090-162X)
- Domenico Formica (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0240-1265)
- Emilia Ambrosini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6527-0779)
- Emek Barış Küçüktabak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5748-5235)
- Alessia Fiorenza
- Francesca Lunardini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4705-6733)
- Andrew Sawers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1287-953X)
- Francesco Di Tommaso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0086-9075)
- Jim Patton
- Laura Bandini
- Lorenzo Vianello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8287-060X)
Institutions
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ES)
- Northeastern University (US)
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (US)
- Università Campus Bio-Medico (IT)
- University of Basel (CH)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Madrid Health Service (ES)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- Chalmers University of Technology (SE)
- University of Genoa (IT)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Politecnico di Milano (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
- Published
- 2025-11-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1109/rbme.2025.3632161
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.03