Hazard Management in Robot-Assisted Mammography Support

2026-04-07

AI Summary

This study addresses safety risks arising from close physical interaction between mammography-assisted robots and vulnerable patients by integrating stakeholder-guided process modeling with the SHARD and STPA methodologies to systematically identify unsafe control actions at both technical and procedural levels. The analysis reveals that primary hazards stem not from conventional component failures, but from temporal mismatches, premature actuation, and misinterpretation of system states. In response, the work proposes enhanced safety requirements that reduce reliance on human operator precision. The resulting safety-driven design framework ensures traceability throughout the development lifecycle, effectively constraining system behavior and substantially improving the safety and reliability of clinical assistive robots.

Abstract

Robotic and embodied-AI systems have the potential to improve accessibility and quality of care in clinical settings, but their deployment in close physical contact with vulnerable patients introduces significant safety risks. This paper presents a hazard management methodology for MammoBot, an assistive robotic system designed to support patients during X-ray mammography. To ensure safety from early development stages, we combine stakeholder-guided process modelling with Software Hazard Analysis and Resolution in Design (SHARD) and System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA). The robot-assisted workflow is defined collaboratively with clinicians, roboticists, and patient representatives to capture key human-robot interactions. SHARD is applied to identify technical and procedural deviations, while STPA is used to analyse unsafe control actions arising from user interaction. The results show that many hazards arise not from component failures, but from timing mismatches, premature actions, and misinterpretation of system state. These hazards are translated into refined and additional safety requirements that constrain system behaviour and reduce reliance on correct human timing or interpretation alone. The work demonstrates a structured and traceable approach to safety-driven design with potential applicability to assistive robotic systems in clinical environments.

Problem

• hazard management
• robot-assisted mammography
• human-robot interaction
• clinical safety
• assistive robotics

Innovation

• hazard management
• robot-assisted mammography
• SHARD
• STPA
• safety-driven design