NEW ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY FOR CEREBRAL PALSY
Robotic technology goes far beyond creating self-driving cars or robotic assistants. Significant advances in robotic technology are taking place within the medical community, and some are making headlines for their ability to help children and adults with cerebral palsy.
One such advance is a robotic device designed to help babies with cerebral palsy crawl; this new invention was the brain child of Dr. Thubi Kolobe and then built by a special team of engineers. The goal of the robotic device, known as the “Self Initiation Prone Powered Crawler” (SIPPC), is to help babies learn how to crawl, giving them the ability to explore the environment around them to enhance learning. With the help of a transmitter cap, researchers have the chance to see how the brain of the baby is triggered when learning to crawl with SIPPC. Not only is this new technology receiving high praise, it’s on its way to clinical trials and will be displayed at the Smithsonian.
Researchers are also using robotic technology to help those with cerebral palsy walk. With robotic devices and gait training, non-ambulatory CP diagnoses may be able to walk with assistance. Although this technology has not yet been able to help perform autonomous locomotion, they were able to successfully walk with some assistance. With more development, new robotic walking aids may be able to help those that have severe gait impairments to better move around in their environments.
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