Japanese government approves wearable robot as medical device for the first time

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare officially approved on the 25th to list 'robot suits' and 'hybrid assistive limbs for medical use' (HAL) as medical devices for sale in Japan for the improvement of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and other diseases walking function. This is the first time the Japanese government has approved the use of wearable robots as medical devices, and it will be studied whether to include them in the scope of applicable insurance in the future. 'Robot suits' and 'medical hybrid assistive limbs' are wearable robots that can read human nerve signals, also known as 'intelligent exoskeletonsIn June 2004, Shanhai Jiazhi established a venture enterprise dedicated to the research and development, manufacture and sale of such robots. The movement of normal people is issued by the brain, and the nervous system conducts electrical signals to drive muscle contraction or relaxation, but patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and other diseases have muscle atrophy and weakness, which cannot be completed after receiving nerve electrical signals. sports. Devices such as 'robot suits' and 'hybrid assistive limbs for medical use' use sensors attached to the thighs and knees to read the electrical nerve signals that people send out when they want to exercise, and use built-in computers to manipulate the motors in the joints to help them move. The neural current signals that can simulate the feeling of 'being able to walk' are transmitted back to the brain to help restore the body's walking function. This essentially replaces the atrophied muscle of the patient with a motor. On November 10, an expert meeting of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommended that such robots be used as medical devices to treat intractable diseases such as muscle strength decline or muscle atrophy. This proposal was officially approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the 25th.