As a teenager, I loved watching movies like Iron Man and Star Wars.
Spider Man seemed a bit unrealistic to me, but I felt if scientists developed technologies like a robotic suit or wearable exoskeleton, Iron man could one day become a reality.
For now , Iron man is still a movie, but exoskeletons have come a long way.
They are revolutionizing the field of healthcare, especially when it comes to mobility and muscular diseases. Exoskeletons possess an immense potential to transform lives of millions of patients, and enhance your wellbeing.
In this article, we shall discuss:
What are Exoskeletons?
How are they Revolutionizing Healthcare?
The Opportunity and Challenges
1. So what are exoskeletons?
In simple terms, "Exo" refers to external and "skeleton" means a type of support system.
Naturally,
Your most common internal skeletons are your bones.
Your hairs and nails are technically your exoskeletons.
But, the exoskeletons we are talking about are not the natural ones.
These are the mechanical structures you can wear to improve your endurance, mobility and strength.
These exoskeletons are wearable technologies designed especially designed to help improve your mobility, enhance your wellbeing and increase work efficiency.
Exoskeletons can be made up of both hard and soft materials and are equipped with sensors. They work in tandem with the user's instructions or can be used to support passive, repeatable movements.
Exoskeletons come in all sizes , ranging from a whole body framework to especially designed exoskeletons for your back bone, hands or legs.
2. How are Exoskeletons Revolutionizing Healthcare?
Support for Spinal cord, acquired brain injury and stroke patients
For patients suffering from spinal cord, stroke or other mobility issues, exoskeletons have been a ray of hope.
Not only does it improve mobility and make life easier, but by assisting patients escape a sedentary lifestyle, it also helps reduce the risk of chronic lifestyle diseases like cancer and blood pressure.
For instance, according to a study conducted conducted on 111 patients, powered exoskeletons showed improvements in spasticity and bowel movement regularity in patients of about 38% and 61% respectively.
Decrease in Work-place Injuries
Occupational exo-skeletons have been found to reduce muscular and skeletal injuries among workers.
According to the American CDC, “Back assist exoskeletons were found to reduce back muscle activity by 10-44% during handling tasks, and hip extensor muscle activity was reduced by 24% in laboratory studies.”
A 2015 study reports up to 80% muscle activity reductions due to the use of active exoskeletons.
For occupations that require long hours of physical work, exoskeletons can be helpful not only in preventing injuries, but also in improving comfort and efficiency.
Improved Efficiency for Health Care Workers.
Not only do exoskeletons help patients, but they also assist health workers improve their efficiency.
For example, a study found that when surgeons used upper body exoskeletons in laparoscopic surgery, they experienced less pain and fatigue.
Exoskeletons can be tailored to help doctors and help professionals deliver better outcomes through reduced fatigue and improved precision.
3. Opportunities and Challenges
The Opportunities :
Exoskeletons have a massive potential to improve the worlds of disability, sports, rehabilitation, and medicine. Through their tailored application, not only can we make lives easier for millions of people, but also prevent workplace injuries and enhance our efficiency.
From the field of healthcare to construction, the applications of exoskeletons have been ever growing. Opportunities in the area of walking economy based on metabolic data also look promising.
The Challenges:
Exo-skeletons have been quite expensive with prices starting from a minimum of $25000 USD.
While it remains a challenge for software programmers to develop tailored solutions, helping healthcare professionals and patients to make their best use also remains an issue.
The technology , however, is getting more advanced as scientists are working to integrate it better with other electronic devices and systems in healthcare.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8458665/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4809334/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/exoskeleton-robotics
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/exoskeleton-robotics
https://www.quantumrun.com/insight/exoskeletons-healthcare-enabling-people-disabilities-walk-again