Assistive Robotics

Sensitive Ceramics for Robotics, Prosthetics

Researchers are developing soft sensor materials based on ceramics. Such sensors can feel temperature, strain, pressure, or humidity, for instance, which makes them interesting for use in medicine, but also in the field of soft robotics. Read on to learn more.

A Tabletop Robot May Revolutionize Physical Therapy Delivery

Mohammad Habibur (Habib) Rahman, Director of the BioRobotics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his team have been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm that therapists can use to assess and treat patients whether or not they are not in the same location.

Biohybrid Robotic Hand Research Platform

Researchers have developed a novel biohybrid neuroprosthetic research platform comprised of a dexterous artificial hand electrically interfaced with biological neural networks. Read on to learn more.

Finger Pouch Actuator Improves Rehab Gloves

Researchers have succeeded in adding finger straightening or extension to soft rehabilitation gloves through a novel foldable pouch actuator (FPA) without compromising the already existing functionality of finger bending or flexion. Read on to learn more about it.

AI-Powered Exoskeleton Helps Restores Mobility

A new method leverages AI and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons that can help users save energy while walking, running, and climbing stairs. The novel method rapidly develops exoskeleton controllers to assist locomotion without relying on lengthy human-involved experiments. Read on to learn more.

Robotic Therapy Improves Tremor Treatment

Researchers have developed SPINDLE, a pioneering robotic rehabilitation system. Combining virtual reality (VR) with customized resistance training, SPINDLE offers personalized therapy to enhance strength and dexterity for activities of daily living (ADLs). Read on to learn more about SPINDLE.

Robotics

What robotic device was finally available for therapy in just the last 10 years?

Advances and Innovations in Assistive Robotics

Exploring advances and innovations in assistive robotics.

Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Stroke Patients

New research pushes forward the bounds of stroke recovery with a unique robotic hip exoskeleton, designed as a training tool to improve walking function. This invites the possibility of new therapies...

Microneedle Patch Helps People Control Robotic Exoskeletons

Engineers from Korea and the United States have developed a wearable, stretchy patch that could help to bridge the divide between people and machines — and with benefits for the health of humans around the world.

Technology

In March of 1973, the Six-Million Dollar Man TV series introduced the world to the possibility of a bionic man. What device made bionics a reality 20 years later?

Robotic Rehab Helps Stroke Patients Regain Hand Dexterity

An assistive planar robot includes a cutting-edge closed-loop feedback system to monitor the muscle and brain activity of the user in order to trigger the execution of reach and grab in an adaptive way.

AI Helps Advance Assistive Robotics

Developing assistive robots is a challenging research area, especially when integrating these systems into human environments such as homes and hospitals. To tackle these challenges, the Human-Machine Interaction & Innovation (HMI2) Lab at Santa Clara University is creating a versatile intelligent robot.

The Contribution of Medical Robotics to Human Wellbeing

In May 2023, a class of tiny, self-propelled robots were designed in the United States that can slip into a human body and may one day deliver prescribed drugs to hard-to-reach parts of the body. The team of developers at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to make the robot fully biodegradable one day, so that it eventually would dissolve in the body.

Parkinson's Disease: A Neuroprosthetic to Correct Walking Disorders

The scientists set out in detail the process of developing the neuroprosthetic that has allowed a first patient with Parkinson's to be treated, enabling him to walk comfortably, confidently and without falling.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including an unprecedented view of gene regulation, a new composite film that improves the safety of personal protective suits, a new kind of strength-building wearable for those with restricted mobility, and more.

Robotics and Prosthetics: Skin-Like Sensors Wrap Around Objects

Researchers have developed an automatic process for making soft sensors. These universal measurement cells can be attached to almost any kind of object. Applications are...

AI Suit Could Improve Spinal Cord Injury Rehab

An intelligent suit could significantly improve rehabilitation after a serious spinal cord injury. The AI-supported solution combines electrical stimulation of muscles with support for movement...

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one about a materials science approach to revealing clues of breast cancer, one on Rice University technology that would give patients one shot and they’d be set for the next couple of months, and more.

Soft Robotic Wearable Restores Arm Function for People with ALS

A team of researchers has developed a soft robotic wearable capable of significantly assisting upper arm and shoulder movement in people with ALS.

Medical Design Briefs: 2021 Technology Leaders

Learn about the medical manufacturers and cutting-edge applications that stood out in 2021.

Robot Sleeves Help Kids with Cerebral Palsy

The garments will contain sealed, airtight regions that can inflate, making them temporarily rigid and providing the force for movement.

Microfluidic-Based Soft Robotic Prosthetics

Scientists have developed a new type of prosthetic using microfluidics-enabled soft robotics that promises to greatly reduce skin ulcerations and pain in patients who have had an amputation...

Assistive Robot Prevents Falls for Elderly

A wearable assistive robot can detect and prevent a fall before it happens, reducing the user’s risk of sustaining injuries. The robot can also be used to aid patients’ rehabilitation from...

Festo and MassRobotics: Leading the Global Nurturing of Healthcare Robotics Innovation

On October 2021, MassRobotics, Festo, and other key players in healthcare robotics, launched a Startup Catalyst Program to advance healthcare robotics...

Exoskeleton Device Helps Stroke Victims Regain Hand Function

Working closely with users and therapists, researchers have developed a light and easy-to-attach hand exoskeleton for people unable to grasp objects following a stroke or...

Advanced Motor Technology Enables Medical Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation

The primary aim for Harmonic Bionics is to empower patients and care providers by designing intelligent technology that facilitated a data-driven treatment protocol when...

Project Awarded $3M for Assistive Robotics and Wearable Tech Research

Harvard and Boston University have been awarded a grant of $3 million from the State House to support the development of next-generation robotics and wearable...