Mind Connection
One robot that falls into this category is a robotic arm that has been created to read people’s thoughts. Two people have used this robot, a man and woman who are both quadriplegic and are unable to use their limbs due to strokes.
Each of them had a tiny sensor injected just below their skulls in an area that is active when people move their arms or hands. After imagining that they were moving the robotic arm (when researchers were actually maneuvering it), their neurons’ firing patterns were recorded and then translated into an electronic command.
Then with a little time and practice, the participants were able to control the arm on their own, just with their thoughts. One of them, who has been paralyzed for 15 years, was able to get the arm to grasp a cup of coffee and bring it to her mouth to take a sip.
While this technology still has a long way to go before it can be used in everyday settings, it’s still a huge step in the right direction and will no doubt be the spark that gets further inventions going.
Balancing Assists
These robots, made by Toyota, were built to help paralyzed patients walk or balance themselves. Basically, it’s a game. The two-wheeled robot has a monitor that displays different sports games. The patient then makes moves in the game by shifting their weight on the robot.
There are other similar robots out there for assisting patients with movement in paralyzed body parts such as their legs. One of these machines is attached to a paralyzed leg and detects movement in the patient’s hips through sensors. Then it helps the knee swing and the patient begin walking training.
Mobile Robot
One last example of robots in the medical field is the autonomous mobile robot. This machine delivers things such as medications and supplies throughout the hospital, saving hospital staff from having to spend the time to do so.
How it works is pretty easy. The person that gives it the supplies it is to delivers also tells it where it is to deliver them to. Then, through an electronic map, the robot is able to navigate through the hospital to the given destination without any needs for lines, magnets or tape.
It can sense where other people or objects are in its path. And if there is heavy traffic ahead, it will stop until it’s clear. It will even alert those in the hallway of its presence so that they don’t run into it, and it can signal doors to open so that it can go through without any problems.
As you can see, today’s technology is producing some pretty incredible machines. There’s no telling what kinds of things will be invented next, but one thing is for sure—robots are going to be a huge factor in revolutionizing the medical world.
About The Author:
Brianna Martin is a freelance writer from Lancaster, Pennsylvania who has been published across the web. The topics she has covered span from technological advancements to industrial operations and solutions to business practices and more, providing information and insight into Motion Control.
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