Different robotic devices seem to be entering our everyday life, though their use is still largely confined to the field of science. One of the scientific branches, that is rapidly developing is rehabilitation robotics. Rehabilitation robots are meant to help people exercise, especially after sustained injuries or as a result of chronic diseases. (Munich, 2011)
There are already quite a few devices that have been successfully used in medicine. One of them is the so called Hand of Hope. It is an exoskeleton hand, which is supposed to train the hand and fingers of patients. Another example is ‘wearable robots’ still very much in the process of development. It is believed that by strapping these robots patients will be able to increase their mobility and strength.
It is obvious that the devices under consideration n potentially have tremendous benefits for mankind. First of all, there is a strong evidence that they do really work being effective and quite easy to exploit. Secondly, the cost is being adjusted and these robots are becoming more available to ordinary patients. Finally, these robots take off the burden of constant care for certain types of patients off the doctors’ shoulders since the robots can do the job even better than their human counterparts – as it is the case with the hand of Hope, for example. (Balasubramanianb et al. 2010)
On the other hand, it goes without saying that all the developments in rehabilitation robotics are costly and challenging, results not yet sufficiently proven in certain cases due to the still limited introduction of the robots into medical institutions. (Brewer et al. 2007) Indeed, ‘wearable robots’ are to be scrutinized more closely in the nearest future. Furthermore, some attitudinal shifts are needed since some patients feel really insecure with the robots and may even feel that they are being written off by doctors.
References
Balasubramanian, Sivakumar; Klein, Julius; Burdet, Etienne (2010). "Robot-assisted rehabilitation of hand function". Current Opinion in Neurology 23 (6): 661–670.
Brewer, BR; McDowell, SK; Worthen-Chaudhari, LC (2007). "Poststroke upper extremity rehabilitation: a review of robotic systems and clinical results." Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation 14 (6): 22–44.
Munih, M. (2011). "Rehabilitation robotics". Technology & Health Care 19 (6): 483–495.
