June 26, 2024 – “The robots are coming. And they are here to help us” says the cover of the latest issue of the MIT Technology Review, the bimonthly magazine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
This statement perfectly summarizes what Franco Molteni, Clinical Director of Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Research Innovation Institute, where the first robots were introduced 20 years ago, presented at the conference organized at the Camera di Commercio di Como-Lecco by Uneba Lecco and Ucid Lecco on “AI & Care: the person at the center”. The presentation addressed a series of relevant points on this topic.
- Rehabilitative Medicine is a frontier where patients who were once considered incurable in the past are now finding hope. It is also a frontier where new treatment possibilities are constantly emerging. To leverage these advancements, we should not fear Artificial Intelligence (AI). Instead, we should embrace it as a tool that can revolutionize treatment methods in a compassionate, intelligent, and sustainable way. It is unthinkable that future doctors will not rely on an AI-powered support system for diagnosing and selecting treatments.
- Today, a person who has had a stroke can regain the ability to walk with the assistance of a physiotherapist and a robot that facilitates ambulation. The machine’s purpose, the patient’s intention to walk again, and the healthcare provider’s intention to aid the patient converge as a common intention through the mediation of AI. This technology does not diminishcare but, instead, enhances it significantly.
- AI can integrate various technologies that patients use, including implanted and wearable technologies, to stimulate the biological regeneration of control systems, making them available to the person once again. AI is important in managing mirroring, where the body is reflected in and with technology. This process aids in reconstructing the body’s imagination, as patients can perform gestures spontaneously only if they can imagine them.
- Finally, AI will be used to process the massive amount of data obtained through telemedicine and daily monitoring of patients in their home environment. In this setting, it is highly likely that a robot will be present to facilitate optimal collaboration for conducting rehabilitative exercises, while also ensuring privacy and capturing the individual’s emotional responses.
