A physiotherapy consultation is more than the press of a hand. It involves the questions a clinician asks, how a patient describes what they are feeling, and how a diagnosis is communicated. While hands-on simulators help develop physical assessment skills, practising the conversation at the heart of patient care is harder to replicate.
This interactive showcase explores how AI can bridge that gap. Developed by The University of Melbourne’s School of Computing and Information Systems in collaboration with the Department of Physiotherapy, the experience combines physical palpation devices with an AI patient designed to simulate a realistic consultation.
Participants will explore how touch, conversation and responsive interaction come together through three physical palpation devices, including technology that provides realistic tissue responses, alongside an AI patient using conversational language, expressive voice and a Furhat social robot to respond in real time.
By bringing together tactile feedback, communication and clinical decision-making, the demonstration highlights how emerging technologies could create new possibilities for physiotherapy education and support future clinicians in developing patient care skills.
Product Architect
Mechatronics engineer and human-computer interaction researcher specialising in tangible and mixed-reality interfaces for education.
AI and Interaction Architect
HCI Researcher. Designing novel interactions for AI. Currently exploring the effects of inference engines on Human-AI Interactions
Developer
Master's graduate in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Melbourne. Passionate about designing and developing interactive systems that make technology serve people better. Experienced in UX research, Unity development, and software engineering.
Developer (XR)
Developer working on the Extended Reality (XR), with simulated overlay in real word environment of the bone structure for SpinalLog and Vertebra.
