Design of the mobile training robot
"For patients who have undergone surgery and whose primary goal is to be able to walk again as quickly as possible, a robot can be a motivator and make a crucial contribution to the recovery process."
Dipl. Med. Päd. Kathrin König MHBA Institute Director & Managing Director Physiokompetenz GmbH – Kur-Natur-Lehrinstitut GmbH – Höhere Berufsfachschule für Physiotherapie, Ilmenau, Germany
Robots with figure-like shape motivate users to practise more
Various studies with different research robots from the past 15 years have demonstrated that patients are more motivated to practise on their own when accompanied by a robot.
Experts attribute the motivational effect to the embodiment of the robot.
Sources:
*Gross et al, ICRA 2017 with a robot that accompanies stroke patients during exercise. Approximately 2/3 of these patients feel more motivated by the robot than if they were exercising alone. Meyer/Fricke 2019 with the precursor of the TEDIRO robot during gait training on crutches in patients after hip prosthesis insertion: Confirmation of these figures. Furthermore, a higher motivation to practice outside the usual training time was found. Furthermore, all participants from the robot group answered yes to the question whether the robot motivates them to train for as long as possible.
** Fasola/Mataric 2013 show in a study that an embodied (physically present) robot is preferred by seniors during fitness exercises over a robot-like trainer appearing only on a screen, while Leyzberg et al. (2012) can show a significant increase in performance for puzzles on a screen when an embodied robot vs. an avatar on a screen assists subjects in doing them.
At TEDIRO, we build on physiotherapeutic expertise
- The application “gait training using forearm supports” was developed by a pool of experts, who have crafted an algorithm which is aimed at objectively evaluating the patient’s gait pattern
- Proof-of-concept at Waldkliniken Eisenberg (German Center of Orthopaedics), one of the largest orthopaedic hospitalss in Germany
- Physiotherapeutic expertise is even present at the top management level at TEDIRO
- We organise expert discussions with physiotherapists on a regular basis in order to optimise the product development process
- Usability studies in European clinics/hospitals (Spain and Italy)
At TEDIRO, we are dedicated to tailor the development of physiotherapy applications and diagnostic tools with the specific needs of our target group. Therefore, we have established a panel of experts with representatives from the fields of nursing and physiotherapy in order to ensure that the product development process keeps going and that it is heading in the right direction.
On a quarterly basis, the expert panel gets together in a casual atmosphere in order to discuss and exchange ideas. Attendance is completely voluntary and all attendees are given the opportunity to get their travel expenses reimbursed when attending a meeting.