Development of a Contactless Healthcare Robot for Speech-Impaired Patients in Medical Care

Abstract In healthcare environments such as isolation wards and pandemic situations, speech-impaired patients often face difficulties in communicating their medical needs. This study aims to address these challenges by developing a prototype servitor robotic system that facilitates communication and supports essential healthcare functions. The motivation behind this work is to enhance patient comfort, reduce infection risks, and improve the efficiency of healthcare delivery in restricted or high-risk medical environments. The proposed system is built on an Arduino uno microcontroller. It integrates multiple sensors, including ir , temperature, and heart rate sensors, to perform basic healthcare tasks such as monitoring vital signs and assisting with sanitation through a specialized patient bed. Sign language-based communication is used to help speech-impaired patients effectively express their medical needs. Additionally, a line-following mechanism enables the robot to move autonomously along a defined path, ensuring smooth and reliable operation in hospital environments. The prototype demonstrated safe and effective patient monitoring with reduced caregiver workload. However, it remains limited to sign-language interaction, lacking vision, real-time response, and autonomous decision-making capabilities. This prototype-level study does not include clinical trials or patient usability validation. In future work, we will focus on experimental performance evaluation, safety validation and human-centered clinical testing.