Robotics in Rehabilitation: An Overview

Introduction

Rehabilitation services include interventions designed to enhance functioning by reducing the effects caused by a disability. Rehabilitation technology includes aids, products, or services rendered to a disabled child, adult, or aged individual and supports enhancing their movements, activeness, participation, etc. Rehabilitation helps disabled people accomplish their wishes related to gaining education or attending schools, universities, or colleges, getting employment, and participating in social and community activities. Many advancements have been made in rehabilitation to improve the efficiency and quality of the services provided. One such improvement is the development of robotics in rehabilitation.

What Is the Role of Robotics in Rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation robots are robots used for professional needs to provide adequate rehabilitation to people in need. They are designed to provide mental and physical assistance to disabled or diseased individuals. In the modern era, rehabilitation robots play an irreplaceable role while rehabilitating those with CNS (central nervous system) conditions. In addition, robots make rehabilitation more fun-oriented and engaging, thus enhancing patient participation and social interaction. It also makes patient assessment easy for healthcare providers. To improve the results of the rehabilitation process, elements like virtual reality (VR), games, motivational content, etcetera, were added. This makes the users accept the system and gets motivated to accept and stay consistent with such devices.

What Are the Types of Robots in Rehabilitation?

Following are some examples of the use of robots in rehabilitation:

• End-Effector Robotic Devices: End-effector robotic devices are attached to the robot’s wrist, tethering with the robot’s tasks. These are electromechanical or mechanical peripheral devices. It is also known as EOAT or end-of-arm tooling. End-effector robotic devices are mainly used for upper limb rehabilitation. The user receives adequate force when connecting the manipulandum to the robotic wrist or arm. It is a convenient system for people with any body type. In addition, sensors attached to the device analyze the performance. End-effector robotic devices are also effective in providing gait training to disabled people. MIT-Manus robot aids are an example of an end-effector system used for upper limb rehabilitation for stroke patients.

Achieving upper limb rehabilitation is complex compared to the lower limb. End-effector robotic devices can enhance lower limb functions also. These assist patients in performing basic movements like walking or climbing stairs. End-effector robots repetitively train individuals without making them extensively strained. This brings rapid results compared to other methods of rehabilitation.

• Exoskeletal Devices: Exoskeleton devices help in direct interaction between the device and the user. These devices directly act on some specific joints. Their form should be similar to the limb getting rehabilitated, making the design and construction processes of the device tedious. Once created, these devices may be attached to multiple specific points in the user’s joints. The attachment will be rigid, and motors adhered to the system help regulate the force applied. The heaviness of an exoskeletal system may develop an inconvenience for the users. Because of this demerit, a cable-driven upper arm exoskeleton has been designed. This design made the whole system lighter, making it user-friendly.

What Are the Advantages of Robotic Rehabilitation?

• Robotic rehabilitation ensures that the movements are repeatedly performed. They will also guarantee that the repeated movements are done the same way every time. This uniform motion enables the brain to train the joints and attached muscles to carry out the activity independently.

• Robotic rehabilitation systems help increase the repetitions of each activity or movement, retain the performance's memory, and enable the user to perform them with self-effort.

• The robotic system helps assess the condition of the disabled person accurately, allowing the healthcare providers to understand the patient’s challenges, plan the entire type of rehabilitation to be provided, and analyze the progress.

• The recovery rate from physical disabilities is higher using a robotic rehabilitation system.

• It is considered safe for the patients and brings a better outcome gradually.

• It is considered for the therapist as only minimal or almost no service from a therapist is required while using robots for rehabilitation.

• Robotic rehabilitation ensures the delivery of controlled and required force, reducing harm and inconvenience.

• The customized routine for a patient can be pre-planned and executed the same way as planned.

• Robotic rehabilitation may be tethered with video exercise, motivating the patients to accomplish their goals.

How to Assess the Performance Using Robotic Systems?

Based on the conventional methods for assessing the performance of a disabled person, the therapist will analyze the patient, assign specific scores and design the type of rehabilitation required. The robotic systems have sensors responsible for the collection of data. The assessment may be based on the motor learning ability of the joints and muscles. This can be informative, precise, and effective for planning future rehabilitation techniques. The scoring done after the assessment will be beneficial in predicting the outcomes and deciding rehabilitation system based on the patient’s capability and convenience. Using a robotic exoskeleton system helps to assess each joint of the limb.

What Are the Challenges of Robotic Rehabilitation?

The followings are some challenges or cons associated with the robotic rehabilitation system:

• The availability of certain types of robotic systems is less.

• The increased cost of the available devices.

• They are recommended to use only in a therapeutic setting, not under-supervised.

• Lack of motivation may make it hard for the users to accept the same.

• Rehabilitation exercises still needed to be coupled with robotic rehabilitation devices.

• The games developed for rehabilitation robots may be fast-paced and unacceptable to disabled individuals.

Conclusion

Rehabilitation robotic therapy transforms rehabilitation techniques into a more technology-oriented process. The challenges mentioned above in robotic rehabilitation can be managed by designing cost-effective rehabilitation robotic devices with more features or characteristics. In addition, adding games and videos convenient for disabled people to accept and adapt to will help get better results. Recent advancements in rehabilitation robotics include the introduction of lightweight devices, the incorporation of elements delivering motivational content, and adding more exciting features like virtual reality, games, scientific content, and educational tasks. Robotic rehabilitation not only causes speedy recovery but also improves community participation, social interaction, and mental well-being.