New Robotic Technologies

In addition to providing hands-on patient care, robots can also help lift patients. Some Japanese inventors created the "Robot for Interactive Body Assistance". This robot is used to transport patients weighing up to 134 lbs. to bedsides and wheelchairs using built-in sensors and foam support technology (Dean, 2009). In America researchers have tested robot called a "Nursebot" on elderly patients, this was not very effective. The problems with the "Nursebot" was it’s ability to perform task such as giving patients bath or help change the patients. The "Nursebot" was however able to remind patients when to take medications or help them to move around as to not strain the elderly person.

Ben-Or, S., Nifong, W., & Chitwood, W. (2013). Robotic Surgical Training. The Cancer Journal, 19(2), 120-123.

Al). This includes the increase in dexterity, the restore of proper hand-eye coordination, and improvement of visualization (Meyers et al.). In Cameron Scott’s article from the Healthline News, “Is da Vinci Robotic Surgery a Revolution or a Ripoff?,” he states that robotic devices including the da Vinci surgical device succeeds well in urology and the removal of prostate. Prostate removal is extremely difficult for open surgery practice, however the da Vinci made is easier with about 90 percent of these kinds of surgeries are now done robotically (Scott). Some evidence even suggest that with robotics used in prostatectomy, there is less blood loss, faster recovery, and fewer internal scarring (Scott.). There are many other examples from hospitals and manufactures that support the uses of robotic surgery and its benefits. However, even though these new technologies of robotic devices are supposedly be helping patients and making surgeries less invasive, they are still many concerns of how they should be properly regulated.

This type of therapy is one that many people have never heard of, and therefore, do not recognize what it can do to help stroke patients. WebMD explains that occupational therapy helps make sure that an individual is capable of doing everyday tasks (Beckman). As a result, therapists who specialize in this field are more likely to use the glove to help their patients. Stephen H. Scott and Sean P. Dukelow express in their article “Potential of Robots as Next-Generation Technology for Clinical Assessment of Neurological Disorders and Upper-Limb Therapy” that doing exercises such as moving cups from one end of a table to another or picking up a pen and holding it in a writing position help to reteach the brain that these are normal functions and the hand should be able to move in these ways on its own (339). For example, using the glove allows patients to get a firmer grasp on objects such as a cup or a pen. Allowing patients to use the glove prompts the brain by sending a message and making a connection that the hand should be able to operate on its own in these ways. It also lets the brain know how the hand muscles are supposed to move and how they should react when presented with different tasks. According to an article titled “Robotic Device Offers Physiotherapy to Aid the Recovery of Stroke Patients,” “Stroke patients showed improvements after eight weeks of use” (6).

The information in this literature review was collected from an expert interview and the search databases Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The expert for the expert interview was selected based on experience with designing prosthetics for individuals that had lost their hand and potentially part of their arm (Birdwell, 2016). The databases were searched using keywords “spinal cord injury”, “hand movement”, and “fine motor movement”. In PubMed the selection was also narrowed down by selecting only studies done on humans. New terminology was searched through science direct due to the built in function that allows for key words from the article to be selected for further information from multiple books or journals.

Five participants with acute stroke and unilateral hemiparesis (Age 51 ± 17 years; Height 1.7 ± 0.1m; Weight 81.6 ± 3.6kg; LOS 36 ± 24.6 days; 3 males, 2 females; 2 with right hemiplegia) were recruited for RE gait training during inpatient rehabilitation in conjunction with traditional therapy. Participant inclusion requirements: have a medical clearance, upright standing tolerance (≥30 min), intact skin, physically fit into the device, have joint range of motion within normal functional limits for ambulation, have had stroke with its onset >1 week and 0.05). This may suggest that the RE was limited to rehabilitate muscles during the IDS and swing phases as seen in figures (6-8).

Advances in technology have led to new approaches in stroke related rehabilitation including the use of virtual

The Joystick could be a value effective answer to robotic rehabilitation that uses a poster force feedback joystick together with on-line games designed specifically for handicapped stroke rehabilitation patients. A special hand-wrist orthosis is mounted on the joystick to convey the patient support for taking part in the

After the surgery, individuals with TMR were able to successfully activate and control 10 different types of elbow, wrist, and hand motions at a high skill level with the virtual prosthetic. In comparison to those controls who did not have an amputation, the TMR patients had an average rate that was 6% lower in successfully performing virtual arm prosthetic motions with an 8% decrease in the elbow and 4% decrease in the wrist and hand1. This data was collected through the use of EMG electrodes placed over the reinnervated muscles of the TMR patients and over the corresponding muscles of the control, non-amputee participants1. With the TMR patients being able to use the virtual arm prosthetic, the future of motorized prostheses seems to be very high, as this data shows that nerve signals are able to be relayed successfully post TMR surgery, despite the complete severing of neural connections to the arm during amputation. Not only were all five individuals with amputations able to use the virtual arm prosthetic, but three out of the five amputee participants were even able to control advanced, motorized prosthetics using the reinnervated

The 21st century can rightfully be considered as the era of technology when the new inventions and discoveries will most likely affect all the segments of human life. At this point, some of the breakthrough inventions of our times have been in the medical field. Robotic surgery has become an almost common practice in the advanced medical world and new uses for robotic assisted surgery are everyday set in place. However, such developments also attract different interests and implications.

An individual’s capacity to move is critical to carry out basic activities of daily living (ADL). Motion illnesses considerably minimize a patient’s quality of living. This can be caused by two ways- a) injuries in upper or lower extremities and b) problems in Central Nervous System (CNS-brain or spinal cord). Thanks to the improvements in technology so that new ways of treatments are available for the treatment of the seriously injured survivors especially from war. In addition and due to economic reasons, the period of primary therapy is getting shorter and shorter. These issues will probably intensity later on as longevity continues to increase coupled with the prevalence of both moderate and intense motor disabilities in the elderly population and consequently increasing their need of physical assistance. To prevent these problems, current research studies display a wide variety of products specifically assisting physical rehabilitation. Robotic devices with the capacity to perform repetitive tasks on patients are among these technically innovative devices. In fact, robotic devices are already applied in clinical practice as well as clinical evaluation for rehabilitation from TBI, injured upper or lower extremities and stroke survivors. However, considering the number of devices described in the literature, so far only a few of these have succeeded to affect the subject group [1].

As of 2016, approximately 795,000 people have experienced a stroke, with an individual experiencing a stroke nearly every 40 seconds (Mozaffarian et al., 2016). The American Heart Association (2013) predicts that the number of individuals who will have a stroke will increase 20% by 2030. The increased prevalence of stroke may lead to serious issues in daily functioning for individuals; therefore, stroke interventions that address functional impairments are crucial. Upper extremity robotics is a relatively novel occupational therapy (OT) intervention for stroke rehabilitation, so critical examination of the effect of robotics to address body structure/function impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions is required (World

Normally, they have very prominent and valuable role in the medical field. This is true for newly developed technology like robotic surgeons whose extensive capabilities will help change the way surgery is performed. Ben Hargreaves, a deputy editor at Professional Engineering, affirms “A surgeon would typically be looking at an accuracy of 0.8mm to the target. He could expect through the robot to get to 0.5mm. Sometimes he'll be able to get to 0.5 manually—but the surgeon wants to be able to do that every time. So what the robot brings to the situation is repeatability, stability and accuracy, which should make surgery safer”(Hargreaves 1). This slight difference in accuracy can be a game-changer for patient care. The accuracy these robots are capable of allows the recovery time of a patient to decrease drastically. It also is not as invasive of a surgery compared to with a conventional surgeon which allows there to be less risk of complications. Medical Technology’s impact in surgery is very substantial, but it has also extended to immediate patient care in the form of

Technology is transforming the medical field with the design of robotic devices and multifaceted imaging. Even though these developments have made operations much less invasive, robotic systems have their own disadvantages that prevent them from replacing surgeons all together. Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is a broad notion encompassing a lot of common procedures that existed prior to the introduction of robots. It refers to general procedures that keep away from long cuts by entering the body through small, usually about 1cm, entry incisions, through which surgeons use long-handled instruments to operate on tissue inside the body. Such operations are directed by viewing equipment and, therefore, do not automatically need the use of a robot. Yet, it is not incorrect to say that computer-assisted and robotic surgeries are categories that fall under minimally invasive surgery (Robotic Surgery, n.d.).

The medical field has revolutionized the health and well being of society. Throughout the decades, the medical field has been through sweeping changes that leave society astonished. It seems like each year that passes by, there is a new technological advancement that modernizes the medical field. Not only do these advancements modernize medicine, but they in return aid doctors, nurses, and specialists by improving their effectiveness within the field. About ten years ago, the da Vinci Surgical System was introduced to hospitals and the medical field, in general because the FDA had finally approved the system within the United States (Dunkin). The da Vinci Surgical System, also known basically as robotic surgery, introduced the use of a