Bridging the gap between robotic technology and health care

Abstract

Although technology and computation power have become more and more present in our daily lives, we have yet to see the same tendency in robotics applied to health care. In this work we focused on the study of four distinct applications of robotic technology to health care, named Robotic Assisted Surgery, Robotics in Rehabilitation, Prosthetics and Companion Robotic Systems. We identified the main roadblocks that are limiting the progress of such applications by an extensive examination of recent reports. Based on the limitations of the practical use of current robotic technology for health care we proposed a general modularization approach for the conception and implementation of specific robotic devices. The main conclusions of this review are: (i) There is a clear need of the adaptation of robotic technology (closed loop) to the user, so that robotics can be widely accepted and used in the context of heath care; (ii) For all studied robotic technologies cost is still prohibitive and limits their wide use. The reduction of costs influences technology acceptability, thus innovation by using cheaper computer systems and sensors are relevant and should be taken into account in the implementation of robotic systems.

Aplicación de tecnologías de rehabilitación robótica en niños con lesión del miembro superior

“…Karel Capek, introdujo el término "Robot" por primera vez en 1921, en una obra teatral denominada Rossum's universal Robots (en español: "los robots universales de Rossum"). Donde describió máquinas inteligentes que aunque se crearon para servir a los humanos, dominaban el mundo y destruían la humanidad 37 . Desde ese entonces hasta el presente, esa idea ha evolucionado bastante y vemos el gran avance en la concepción e implementación de la robótica, como lo es en terapias de rehabilitación.…”

Adaptive Controller Algorithm for 2-DOF Humanoid Robot Arm

“…Its natural form is defined as the total kinetic energy, T, of the system minus its total potential energy, V, [4][5][6] as shown in equation (3). The total kinetic energy, which is the sum of both linear, T E and rotational, T R kinetic energy, can be derived using the formula shown in equation (4), whilst the equation for the total potential energy, V is shown in equation (5).…”

“…Usually, these physiotherapy training sessions are considered labor-intensive and the training duration is usually limited either by personnel shortages or therapist fatigue during the sessions [4][5]. These indirectly affect the sessions to become shorter than required to gain an optimal outcome.…”

Study on upper limb rehabilitation system based on surface EMG

“…The training results showed that it greatly assisted with the treatment. The research team led by Loureiro, et al [10,11] developed an upper limb rehabilitation training robot that it could provide passive training, active training and impedance training. Clinical trials showed that it strongly influenced the rehabilitation of the upper limb.…”