We are publishing a preview of an article in the new Corriere Salute. You can read the full text on the issue at newsstands for free on Thursday 24 June or in Pdf on the Digital Edition of the «Corriere della Sera».
They lift, assist, correct, in some cases work in our place or completely replace some functions or even parts of the human body as in the case of bionic prostheses. Robots and more generally intelligent devices intended for rehabilitation have left the research laboratories, have now entered the care pathways and their use is spreading more and more. With a strong enthusiasm on the part of the patients – perhaps thanks to the “robotic moment”, paraphrasing the sociologist Sherry Turkle, that is, an almost empathic openness to the machines that society is experiencing -, and contrasting feelings instead between clinicians and physiotherapists, especially in Italy .
A small army
Let’s start with some data. It is difficult to say precisely how many rehabilitation robotic systems are present in the world. According to the estimates of the International Federation of Robotics, 12 thousand units were sold in the world in 2020 and in 2023 it will reach 26 thousand. In Italy there may be about 250 in circulation, but these are not official figures. “Neurorehabilitation hospitals are among the main users of these devices. Suffice it to say that, in Italy, we have a quarter of 100 or a little more specimens of the most complex robot (about 300 thousand euros), produced for the lower limbs “says Giovanni Morone, physiatrist, researcher at the Clinical Laboratory of experimental Neurorehabilitation of the Santa Irccs Lucia of Rome.
You can continue reading the article on the Health Courier on newsstands for free on Thursday 24 June or in Pdf on the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera.
June 22, 2021 (change June 22, 2021 | 19:50)
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