Walking Robot Suits Approved as Medical Equipment
A robot suit to help patients with intractable diseases walk is now approved as medical equipment, bared the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, November 10. This is the first wearable medical robot ever approved.
The robot detects electric signals on a skin surface, as the patient moves his leg muscles and activates the motor to aid the patient to walk. The robot was developed by a venture business in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki.
So far nine hospitals have done clinical studies of the robot on a total of 24 patients with tractable diseases. Data show the wearable robot suits helps the patients walk 10% longer in a given amount of time. The expert meeting acknowledged the effects of the robot suits in improving walking functions after repeated application and approved it as medical equipment targeting patients of eight intractable diseases including muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The government has the promotion of robot industry as part of its growth strategy and the robot suits was approved in eight months, four months sooner than ordinary medical equipment. The robot suits will likely be covered by insurance as early as next spring. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, plans to collect data over five years on the safety and effect of the robot suits.
Meanwhile, patients of intractable diseases place high expectations on the robot suits. According to NHK, Isao Sato, 72, developed spinobulbar muscular atrophy 20 years ago, one of the 2000-3000 patients of the disease. No effective medication is available as yet.
Sato moves about in a wheelchair and can not live without an artificial respirator.
He joined the study at a hospital in Kashiwazaki last month and is training to walk with his robot suits on. He used to walk 11.9 meters per minute with a walking aid. After a 20-minute training he can now walk 19.1 meters.
"As I go on training I can feel my legs start walking. I do hope many others of my disease can use this robot suits", he said.