In recent years, under the trend of “robot replacing human”, various robots are gradually emerging around us. With their own mission and original design intention, they are widely active in various major production and life fields. Just like the different robot characters in the movie, there are “WALL-E” who can be applied in environmental protection, “Terminator” who can be used in military field and, of course, “Baymax” that can be used in medical field.
However, in reality, robot used in the medical field is certainly not “Baymax”, but a powerful medical robot lineup composed of surgery, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, transportation and nursing, etc. Among them, the rehabilitation robot is undoubtedly the most concerned by both doctors and patients. Apart from the less difficulty in the development and application of the rehabilitation robot, the outbreak of the demand in the rehabilitation medical market and the growing field problems have provided the rehabilitation robot with a broad stage to reflect its value.
The rehabilitation medical care problems in China are gradually emerging.
As is known to all, rehabilitation medical treatment as an important part of modern medicine, has always been the focus of medical development in various countries, and our country is also vigorously promoting the deepening development of rehabilitation medical treatment. However, in the competition with the developed countries abroad, we have fallen behind in the service system, social health insurance, infrastructure and other aspects. At this stage, various problems keep erupting. As a result, the release of rehabilitation and medical treatment potential in China has been delayed and the development is not optimistic.
Specifically, there are two basic problems in rehabilitation medical treatment in China, namely, insufficient supply and imperfect system. Among them, the insufficient supply can be divided into the lack of rehabilitation professionals, the insufficiency of rehabilitation medical institutions and the backwardness of rehabilitation infrastructure. The common influence of these three factors leads to the increasing demand for rehabilitation in China, but we cannot keep up with demand for insufficient capacity.
In terms of imperfect system, it’s also characteristics by three major. First, the intervention of early rehabilitation cannot be timely and effective, and the golden rehabilitation period of patients didn’t get attention and utilization, which not only greatly reduces the final curative effect of rehabilitation, but also leads to the connection between rehabilitation training and clinical diagnosis and treatment is not close enough. The second is the irregularity of rehabilitation referral, resulting in slow recovery cycle, long hospital stay, follow-up hindered diagnosis and treatment, and overworked hospitals work. Third, imperfect medical insurance policies push medical costs to high level, which discouraging many patients from the rehabilitation.
The emergence of these two major problems has become a stumbling block to the development of rehabilitation medical care in China. Faced with such a severe basic situation of rehabilitation medical care, China needs to make effective adjustments and transformations, which has become the main reason forced the creation of rehabilitation robots.
Rehabilitation robots have a bright future
Although the application of rehabilitation robots cannot completely overcome all the above problems, it can bring positive changes to doctors, patients, industries and markets. Through the effective solution of some problems, it can greatly promote the development of rehabilitation medicine.
For example, with the help of rehabilitation robots, doctors can be freed from heavy rehabilitation tasks, greatly reducing working burden, and improving work efficiency. At the same time, rehabilitation robots as an important medical device enhance the sufficient domestic medical infrastructure; the lack of professional talents will be alleviated, and the rehabilitation cost of patients will be greatly reduced. In addition, the technological innovation from rehabilitation robots boosts the improvement of rehabilitation medical level, which is of great value to both doctors and patients.
With perfect application effect, rehabilitation robots tend to become the main force in the future rehabilitation medical market, achieving rapid and mature achievements.
This is not a simple speculation. At present, the number of aging population, disabled people and chronic patients in China is increasing, leading to active demand for rehabilitation. The scale of the rehabilitation market has reached 27 billion yuan in 2016, and the development potential is extremely impressive, which significant driving market for the development of rehabilitation robots.
At the same time, in recent years, the state’s support for rehabilitation robots also keep increasing. With the successive introduction of the “Health China 2030 Planning Outline” and other related documents, the relevant medical insurance system is increasingly improved, and the application cost of rehabilitation robots will be lower, which is undoubtedly one of the major positive factors driving future development.
Future development still needs to overcome difficulties
However, in addition to the vision of great development of the future rehabilitation robots, we still shouldn’t ignore many existing deficiencies and development difficulties.
It’s obviously that at present, there are many deficiencies in humanization and personalization of rehabilitation robots in China, and actually application effect is not so perfect; there is also lack of coordinated control among multiple platforms, and the coordination and interaction between machines and human-machines still need much efforts; the robots also have weakness on autonomy, adaptability, level of intelligence and human-computer interaction capability.
Apart from the technology and functions of the robot itself, there is room for in capital-driven, policy guidance and market regulation. The dilemma of high-end market monopolized by foreign countries, over-reliance on imports, and high costs are also urgently needed to break through. All in all, the development of rehabilitation robots in China still has a long way to go. In the process of improvement, there are still continuous difficulties to overcome for a glorious tomorrow.
(source: China Intelligent Manufacturing Network)
