Robot-based Optical Assessment of Vital Signs in Healthcare with a Social Interface

Abstract Background Health kiosks with advanced imaging technologies can assess vital signs contactless. These kiosks, often found in supermarkets, pharmacies, and transit hubs, use cameras, thermal sensors, and AI to measure heart and respiratory rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation without physical contact. Objective We introduce a concept of an autonomous robotic system to scan the surroundings, detect humans, interact with them by leveraging a social interface, and gather their vital signs without physical contact. Methods A 6DOF robot arm is equipped with cameras to scan its surroundings. Upon detecting a person within the working space, the system prompts the person to step closer in a socially appropriate manner. Using contactless sensors, the system captures vital signs, such as the heart and respiratory rate, the body temperature and basic emotions by autonomously positioning the camera on the robotic arm to maintain a direct line of sight with the individual’s face. Results The contribution provides the system architecture and first experiments with the sub-components. By integrating event-driven detection with unobtrusive monitoring, the proposed solution offers a novel robot-based method for routine, contactless vital sign collection, easing the workload of medical staff and patients.