Biomimetic Robotics and Sensing for Healthcare Applications and Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Robotics
• Healthcare Technology

Background:

• Biomimetic robotics and sensor technologies offer significant potential for healthcare and rehabilitation.
• Existing research requires synthesis to identify knowledge gaps and guide future bio-inspired innovations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze the application of biomimetic robotics and sensing technologies in healthcare and rehabilitation.
• To identify current trends, predominant research areas, and emerging transdisciplinary approaches.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 89 peer-reviewed sources from the Scopus database.
• Analysis focused on applications in healthcare and rehabilitation contexts.

Main Results:

• Rehabilitative and assistive technologies for human mobility enhancement constitute the largest research area (61.8%).
• Intelligent control systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are increasingly integrated (12.36%).
• Significant progress is noted in bioengineering (13.48%), soft robotics (11.24%), medical robots (7.87%), and wearable robotics/exosuits (10.11%).
• Transdisciplinary approaches are emerging (6.74%), indicating interdisciplinary collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Biomimetic technologies are significantly impacting healthcare, with a strong emphasis on mobility and assistive solutions.
• Future research should focus on integrating AI, soft robotics, and transdisciplinary approaches to further enhance healthcare outcomes and patient quality of life.