Science has given several boons to human kind, with the advancement of technology. While technology has simplified our day to day life with its various enhancements, it also did miracles in the field of medical science.
And now the researchers have come up with a new boon for us. A robot therapist which is made to treat muscle strains and injuries.
Yes! It’s true. This robot is named as Emma which stands for Expert Manipulative Massage Automation.
Emma has a robotic arm with a 3D-printed massage tip, which is designed to deliver high quality therapy consistently.
Reportedly, robot Emma has a user-friendly interface and recommended guidelines for various sports injuries. The robot consists of a single, 6-axis robotic arm capable of highly articulated movements, a 3D-stereoscopic camera for vision, and a customised, fully rotatable 3D-printed massage tip.
This robot therapist has so far treated 50 patients with different conditions, such as tennis elbows, stiff neck and shoulders, lower back pain, as well as muscle pulls. Emma has sensors and diagnostic functions that will measure the progress of the patient and the exact stiffness of a particular muscle or tendon. This will help ensuring a consistent quality of therapy.
Developed by AiTreat, a start-up company founded by Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) graduate Albert Zhang, Emma is undergoing user trials at a medical institution that offers sports injury rehabilitation and pain management.
"We have designed Emma as a clinically precise tool that can automatically carry out treatment for patients as prescribed by a physiotherapist or Chinese physician," said Zhang, who graduated in 2010 from NTU.
"This is probably the first such robot in the world developed specifically for use by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physicians and sports therapists," said Zhang.
"Our aim is not to replace the therapists who are skilled in sports massage and acupoint therapy, but to improve productivity by enabling one therapist to treat multiple patients with the help of our robots," he said.
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