AsiaIndustrial NetNews: According to Japanese media reports, in the context of aging and the increase in emergency rates, the number of patients with partial paralysis due to strokes in Japan is expected to increase, and Japanese companies are racing to develop and improve the symptoms of paralysis.Robot.
According to Kyodo News, Japanese companies are racing to develop robots that improve the symptoms of paralysis. Against the backdrop of an aging population and an increase in emergency care rates, the number of patients suffering from partial paralysis due to stroke or the like is expected to increase, and the demand for robots to ensure the quality and quantity of rehabilitation is also increasing.
Teijin Pharmaceuticals (Tokyo) put the “ReoGo-J” rehabilitation Robot for the hand and wrist into practical use last fall. Kansai Rehabilitation Hospital (located in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture), which is known for its cutting-edge medical care, has been introduced.
When a man (33 years old) who was severely paralyzed on the right side of his body was sitting, the Robot assisted him to slowly move his right wrist fixed on the device towards the target point indicated by the Display screen in front of him. The man, who suffered a brain contusion from a bicycle fall in May last year, has been training for 20 to 30 minutes a day since the fall of the same year. “The wrist has become mobile,” he said with a smile.
Rehabilitation therapy that relies on robots can achieve higher training volumes without the need for physical support from occupational therapists and physical therapists. Although it would be ideal to apply insurance to popularize robots, the method of verifying the effect is complicated and the threshold is high. Tomozaburo Sakamoto, director of the hospital, said: “Even so, the future will be an era in which humans and robots seek to coexist. With technological innovation, the way therapists work will also change.”
Akihisa Nabeshima, president of Teijin Pharmaceuticals, said excitedly: “It is in a state where the market itself has not yet formed. I hope insurance can be applied in a few years.”
Toyota Motor Corporation launched a rental business of walking-assist robots for medical institutions in September. Since 2007, Toyota and Fujita Health and Medical University (Toyoaki City, Aichi Prefecture) have jointly developed and conducted many empirical tests. The robot is characterized by the use of seat belts to keep the body stable, etc., and it can also be used by severe patients. The monthly rental fee is 378,000 yen (about 23,000 yuan) per unit, in addition to an initial fee of 1.08 million yen.
Panasonic is conducting experiments with Keio University using robots that restore neural circuits in paralyzed fingers. It is said that sensors attached to the scalp read brain waves when they want to move, and the machine stretches the patient’s fingers while adding electrical stimulation. The person in charge of Panasonic looks forward to “technology that can powerfully assist therapists” and strives to put it into practice in three years.
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