Image: Boy with robotic gait trainer on treadmill; Copyright: panthermedia.net/olesiabilkei

Topic of the Month June 2019

Robotics – rehab with motors and sensors

They work with power, precision and tirelessly. This makes robots an ideal instrument for rehabilitation. In gait or motor training, movement sequences must be repeated thousands of times so that they can be learnt anew. What tires the patient and costs the therapist’s time can easily be managed by robot-assisted systems. Learn more about the possibilities of robotics in rehabilitation in our Topic of the Month.

Walking is an issue of mind over matter – how robots assist rehabilitation

Image: triangular table at which three patients do various robotic rehabilitation exercises; Copyright: Hocoma, Switzerland

Humans are living longer than ever but still want to continue to live independently as they age. Meanwhile, our motor and cognitive abilities decline as we age, sometimes as the effects of a stroke. The number of people in need of long-term care is growing at breakneck speed. At the same time, fewer and fewer young people choose stressful careers as caregivers.

Read the article about robotics for rehabilitation here

Rehabilitation robots – robot-assisted therapy in neurology

Image: Boy uses robot arm in front of a monitor with computer game, next to it stands the therapist; Copyright: Helios Klinik Hattingen

It takes consistent repetitions if rehab patients want to relearn skills after surviving a stroke. This requires extreme effort. The industrial sector uses robots to perform repetitive tasks or handle jobs that require strength. What has been a fixture in factories for decades is now also making its way into rehabilitation facilities.

Read the interview with Michael Klein here

Of exoskeletons and service robots – the future of rehabilitation

Image: Woman uses robot arm to grab something on the table; Copyright: RWTH Aachen/RPE & inRehaRob

For most people, enjoying a good quality of life means having the ability to move freely, safely and independently. Intensive and costly rehabilitation is needed if this is no longer an option after a stroke for example. We are introducing some projects that deliver innovative robotic solutions.

Read the article about projects concerning robotics in rehabilitation here

Video

Training partner robot – This is the rehabilitation of the future

In medicine, robots are already taking over tasks that only a few years ago were exclusively in human hands. Especially in the field of rehabilitation, they will play a major role in the future. In the "RoSylerNT" project of the German Sport University Cologne, a robot arm from KUKA is being used here for training purposes. Find out why a robot is the right training partner!