Robotic systems for medical purposes have the potential to improve both precision and cababilities of the physician. Although it has been over 15 years since the first recorded use of a robot for a surgical procedure, the field of medical robotics is still an emerging one that has not yet reached a critical mass. For rehabilitation purposes, robot systems are a great help to increase the capabilities of the (disabled) users and therefore allow an independent and more pleasant living. Also for this application area, the market impact of such systems is by far behind the technological possibilities. The lecture describes the objectives of this technology and discusses possible obstacles in bringing it to market. The lecture starts with a short historical review of (medical) robotics and a general discussion of the topic, followed by an overview of clinical and rehabilitation applications where robots have been applied. The lecture is concluded with a listing of technology challenges and research areas, including system architecture, mechanical design, navigation issues and safety of medical robotics.
