​​​ ​Accelerating Creativity and Excellence (ACE) Grant 2020

The use of rehabilitation robot is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative form of treatment in recent years and the COVID-19 pandemic showcased the value of using robots in a medical setting. However, some research has shown that people are generally resistant to the use of robots in the medical setting.

Through their research, Associate Professor Sharon Ng, Head of NBS Division of Marketing and her team – Associate Professor Domenico Campolo from NTU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Co-PI); Associate Professor Wee Seng Kwee, a Senior Principal Physiotherapist from Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Associate Professor at Singapore Institute of Technology (collaborator); and Dr Gabriel Aguirre Ollinger from Articares Pte Ltd (collaborator) – seek to find out the cause for the resistance, and how people perceive and interact with robots in a medical setting.

"Helping patients overcome the psychological impediment and barriers towards robotic therapists will open new doors to medical treatments and change the treatment options available to the society," shared Associate Professor Ng and her team.

The ACE scheme promotes interdisciplinary collaborations among faculty across schools, colleges, and research institutes of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) to catalyse bold and unconventional research in addressing global research problems.