Chapter 3: Impact of Cobots Integration on the Healthcare Organisations: Systems Thinking Approach

The European healthcare system is experiencing a surge in demand for quality care, driven by three key factors: an ageing population, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and a shortage of healthcare professionals. To address these issues, healthcare organisations increasingly invest in innovative solutions, such as collaborative robots, known as ‘cobots’. A defining feature of cobots is their ability to interact with the environment. This enables the cobots and the operator to work together in the same workspace without the usual safety constraints (Patil et al., 2023). Collaborative robots are equipped with safety mechanisms based on force control and constant monitoring of the environment, thereby enabling them to work alongside humans without additional safety precautions (Mukherjee et al., 2022). Their movements are synchronised with human operators, and technologies such as touch sensors, distinctive cameras and collision avoidance systems help prevent potential accidents.