Healthcare Robotics Workshop; Boston, MA; March 26-27, 1997

*这次研讨会的目的是汇聚机器人和医疗保健社区的顶尖科学家、工程师、从业者和企业家，展示医疗保健机器人的最新技术，并确定需要长期研究努力的基本问题和关键技术。老年人口的快速增长和医疗费用的飙升是当今社会面临的关键问题。传统的劳动密集型服务和昂贵的治疗将不再负担得起，但对高质量护理的需求仍在继续增加。机器人和智能系统正在涌现出新的医疗技术，这将使目前的医疗服务实践发生重大变化。例如，微创手术可以让患者迅速出院。远程健康监测和远程护理系统使患者能够呆在家里，从而避免了昂贵的住院费用。机器人车辆和操纵技术使卧床不起的患者和老年人能够独立生活。传感器和执行器的小型化、无线通信、先进的人机界面及其集成技术正朝着医疗技术的未来方向发展。此外，研讨会还将讨论研究、开发和部署的战略规划以及新技术的社会和经济影响。研讨会将于1997年3月26日和27日在波士顿地区举行。参与者将被邀请来自医疗保健社区的不同部门，例如医院、家庭健康机构、疗养院、保险公司，以及机器人、生物医学工程、通信和软件方面的供应商和研究人员。结果将作为讲习班会议记录以及通过网页和虚拟图书馆予以公布和传播。

*** The objective of this workshop is to bring together leading scientists, engineers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs in the robotics and healthcare communities, display state-of-the-art of healthcare robotics, and identify fundamental issues and key technologies which require long term research endeavors. The rapid increase of the aged population and soaring healthcare costs are crucial problems faced by today's society. Traditional labor-intensive services and costly treatments will no longer be affordable, yet demands for quality care continue to increase. New healthcare technologies are emerging from robotics and intelligent systems which would make significant changes in the current practice of healthcare services. Minimally invasive surgery, for example, allows patients to be quickly discharged from the hospital. Remote health monitoring and tele-nursing systems allow patients to stay at home, thus avoiding costly hospital stays. Robotic vehicles and manipulation technologies allow bedridden patients and elderly people to live independently. Miniaturized sensors and actuators, wireless communication, advanced human-machine interface, and their integration technologies are pointing in the future direction of healthcare technology. Furthermore, strategic planning of research, development, and deployment as well as the social and economic impact of the new technologies will be discussed at the workshop. The workshop will be held on March 26 and 27, 1997 in the Boston area. Participants will be invited from various sectors of the healthcare community, e.g., hospitals, home health agencies, nursing homes, insurance companies, as well as the vendors and researchers in robotics, biomedical engineering, communication, and software. The result will be published and disseminated as workshop proceedings as well as by web page and virtual librari es.***