Socially assistive robots (SARs) are a rapidly emerging technology that aims to augment delivery of healthcare through social engagement with patients. In recent years, numerous SARs have been developed and, to varying degrees, tested in a range of healthcare settings with promising results. Underpinning these developments have been significant advances in both artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and sensing technologies now readily available and increasingly affordable. However, despite clear technical progress and encouraging results across a range of proposed health- and well-being-related use cases, the proliferation of SARs in care-providing roles remains limited, and evidence of therapeutic benefit is scarce. In this chapter, we discuss the state of the art in SARs and identify current practical challenges impeding the translation and wide-scale integration of SAR technologies into clinical settings. We focus specifically on the question of assigned roles for SARs in care delivery, considering their potential health and well-being benefits for patients, and efficiency gains for care providers, but also identify their technical and operational limitations and the need to integrate within established healthcare systems. Drawing on existing research, including our own work exploring the use of SARs in both pediatric rehabilitation and aged-care settings, we discuss how the successful translation of SAR research and development to ongoing deployment can be realized. The discussion emphasizes the importance for a greater focus and understanding of healthcare needs, the operating context, and the relationship between these needs and the SAR's sensing and AI capabilities.
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