Tsukuba: Robots may soon replace humans as our go-to companions, just as most of us never leave home without our smartphones.
According to recent experiments by Japanese researchers who have held hands A soft robot which can enhance patients’ experiences during a potentially unpleasant period Medical proceduresAs with injections, that appears to be the case.
During a campaign to promote vaccination against Covid-19, public health officials realized that some people were simply afraid of needles, which contributed to low vaccination rates. Despite the issues, there is still a need to test and put solutions into practice to help patients Patient concerns And pain during medical procedures has been thoroughly studied.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have created a wearable soft robot that patients can use during treatment in an attempt to reduce their discomfort, according to a study that was just published in Scientific Reports. Study participants who wore the robot experienced less pain during tests where they were exposed to moderate heat stimuli than those who did not. According to senior author Professor Fumihide Tanaka, “Our results suggest that the use of wearable soft robots can reduce fear and eliminate the perception of pain during medical treatments, including vaccinations.”
The soft, furry robot, which the researchers called Relibo, had tiny airbags that could inflate in response to the participant’s hand movements. It was designed to attach to the participant’s hand. The participant’s hand was clamped while the other hand, which was not used to grip the robot, was subjected to painful thermal stimulation as the researchers tested its effectiveness under various circumstances. From the patients’ saliva samples, the researchers also measured concentrations of oxytocin and cortisol, which are biomarkers for stress. A survey test was also conducted to assess the patients’ fear of injection and psychological state before and after the experiments, and subjective pain ratings were recorded using an evaluation scale.
Regardless of the experimental setup, the researchers found that holding the robot made patients feel better. They hypothesized that the robot may also have evoked feelings of well-being that human touch can produce. According to Professor Tanaka, “It is known that human touch can reduce feelings of pain and fear, and we think this effect can also be achieved with inanimate soft robots.” This can be helpful in situations where direct human contact is impractical, such as epidemics. Future iterations of the robot may use augmented reality (AR) technology or even controlled gaze to engage patients or distract them from their pain in various contexts.
