Reports from the Hanover Industrie Messe on new robots exhibited. Reviews the latest robot controllers. Describes the work of the IPA in developing service robots.

This paper describes the development and evaluation of the Handy 1 rehabilitation robot which is acknowledged as being the most successful low‐cost, commercially available rehabilitation robotic system in the world to‐date[1]. Over 100 people with severe disabilities have benefited from...

This paper presents new prototype powered wheelchair systems that are easy to use and safe. The systems use simple ultrasonic sensor systems to assist users in steering their powered wheelchairs. The new systems could improve the chances of some disabled children learning that behaviour and...

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a cost‐effective alternative to the open surgery whereby essentially the same operations are performed using specialized instruments designed to fit into the body through several tiny punctures instead of one large incision. The EndoBots (Endoscopic Robots)...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider a number of issues around the poor adoption of healthcare simulation models and reflect whether there has been a broad failure of academic healthcare simulation modellers to build models that reflect real healthcare problems as acknowledged by...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the existing literature on the wide range of operations research (OR) studies applied to healthcare, and to classify studies based on application type and on the OR technique employed. The scope of the review is limited to studies which have...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a generic framework for hybrid (integrated deployment of system dynamics and discrete event simulation) simulation which can be applied in the healthcare domain. Design/methodology/approach – As hybrid simulation in an organisational context...

Purpose – As increasing numbers of older people retain their teeth for longer, the result is a dramatic change in both the volume and type of dental treatment required. In response to the ageing population issues, changing dental needs, a shortage of NHS dentists, and the creation of new roles...

Purpose – Current healthcare applications produce a complex and inaccessible set of data that often needs to be investigated simultaneously. As such the conflicting software applications and mental effort being demanded from the user result in time‐consuming analysis and diagnosis. The...