Humanoids in Hospitals: A Technical Study of Humanoid Robot Surrogates for Dexterous Medical Interventions

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Atar, Soofiyan, Liang, Xiao, Joyce, Calvin, Richter, Florian, Ricardo, Wood, Goldberg, Charles, Suresh, Preetham, Yip, Michael
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Atar, Soofiyan
Liang, Xiao
Joyce, Calvin
Richter, Florian
Ricardo, Wood
Goldberg, Charles
Suresh, Preetham
Yip, Michael
author_facet Atar, Soofiyan
Liang, Xiao
Joyce, Calvin
Richter, Florian
Ricardo, Wood
Goldberg, Charles
Suresh, Preetham
Yip, Michael
contents The increasing demand for healthcare workers, driven by aging populations and labor shortages, presents a significant challenge for hospitals. Humanoid robots have the potential to alleviate these pressures by leveraging their human-like dexterity and adaptability to assist in medical procedures. This work conducted an exploratory study on the feasibility of humanoid robots performing direct clinical tasks through teleoperation. A bimanual teleoperation system was developed for the Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot, integrating high-fidelity pose tracking, custom grasping configurations, and an impedance controller to safely and precisely manipulate medical tools. The system is evaluated in seven diverse medical procedures, including physical examinations, emergency interventions, and precision needle tasks. Our results demonstrate that humanoid robots can successfully replicate critical aspects of human medical assessments and interventions, with promising quantitative performance in ventilation and ultrasound-guided tasks. However, challenges remain, including limitations in force output for procedures requiring high strength and sensor sensitivity issues affecting clinical accuracy. This study highlights the potential and current limitations of humanoid robots in hospital settings and lays the groundwork for future research on robotic healthcare integration.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_12725
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Humanoids in Hospitals: A Technical Study of Humanoid Robot Surrogates for Dexterous Medical Interventions
Atar, Soofiyan
Liang, Xiao
Joyce, Calvin
Richter, Florian
Ricardo, Wood
Goldberg, Charles
Suresh, Preetham
Yip, Michael
Robotics
The increasing demand for healthcare workers, driven by aging populations and labor shortages, presents a significant challenge for hospitals. Humanoid robots have the potential to alleviate these pressures by leveraging their human-like dexterity and adaptability to assist in medical procedures. This work conducted an exploratory study on the feasibility of humanoid robots performing direct clinical tasks through teleoperation. A bimanual teleoperation system was developed for the Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot, integrating high-fidelity pose tracking, custom grasping configurations, and an impedance controller to safely and precisely manipulate medical tools. The system is evaluated in seven diverse medical procedures, including physical examinations, emergency interventions, and precision needle tasks. Our results demonstrate that humanoid robots can successfully replicate critical aspects of human medical assessments and interventions, with promising quantitative performance in ventilation and ultrasound-guided tasks. However, challenges remain, including limitations in force output for procedures requiring high strength and sensor sensitivity issues affecting clinical accuracy. This study highlights the potential and current limitations of humanoid robots in hospital settings and lays the groundwork for future research on robotic healthcare integration.
title Humanoids in Hospitals: A Technical Study of Humanoid Robot Surrogates for Dexterous Medical Interventions
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.12725