Wearable walking robot proven to be effective in treating Cerebral Palsy

Improve walking ability and strengthen endurance

Development of muscles utilised in walking using rehabilitation robots

[해외특파원 1기 / 이다올 기자] A wearable walking robot has been confirmed to be effective in treating cerebral palsy patients for rehabilitation. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders which is caused by abnormal development of the frontal lobe, an area of the brain that controls decision-making and movement. Causes of cerebral palsy include damage to the white matter of the brain, irregular brain development, bleeding in the brain and lack of oxygen in the brain.

Severance Rehabilitation Hospital, the most recognised South Korean hospital, announced on November 18th that a total of 29 children, including 18 children with cerebral palsy, have improved walking ability and endurance alongside development of large muscles used when walking with the help of rehabilitation robots. Severance Rehabilitation Hospital has been selected as a participating institution for the Rehabilitation Robot Demonstration Support Project.

To be more specific, the Rehabilitation Robot Demonstration Support Project is carried out by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Robot Industry Promotion Agency, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. They  aim to secure the usability and clinical usefulness of robots in the rehabilitation field by supplying robots to medical institutions such as university hospitals that are capable of proceeding with rehabilitation research and yielding conclusive data. Advantages of the wearable robots are that patients can travel around virtual reality spaces and treat them joyfully, and they can lead to normal walking so that they can be independent and engaged. Since the contents of treatments are recorded, the amount, intensity, and improvement can be accurately measured and long-term training is possible.

Severance Rehabilitation Hospital has continuously been conducting full-scale demonstration since September by introducing Angelobotics’ “Angelix M20,” and plans to continue research on the effectiveness and safety of robot rehabilitation treatment in cerebral palsy patients who have difficulty walking by November 2022. Based in Wirral, The Rehab Physio has secured 250,000 british pounds in new financing to invest in robotics to support its patients. It uses the latest technology to help rehabilitate patients that have suffered severe injury or illness.

Professor Dong-Wook Na of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, who leads the empirical study, stated, “Rehab treatment is very important especially for children with cerebral palsy due to walking disorders caused by paralysis, and wearable robots are the best tool to improve walking ability by enabling intensive walking training.”