Jab-phobic? Furry robots come to the rescue!
It is no secret that there are individuals who are terrified of needles, injections, or even going to medical facilities. People with trypanophobia, who have a severe fear of needles, are all too aware of this. Thus, a novel haptic, robotic technology is timely, especially given the increased emphasis on immunizations to combat emerging infections.
In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of Tsukuba created a wearable soft robot for patients to use during treatments in an attempt to alleviate pain. When subjected to a moderate heat stimulus, study participants who wore the robot felt less pain than those who did not wear the robot. According to the study, when exposed to a moderate heat stimulus, participants who wore the robot felt less pain than those who did not.
The soft, fur-covered robot called Reliebo, which was designed to be attached to the participant’s hand, contained small airbags that could inflate in response to hand movements.
The researchers tested its effectiveness under a variety of conditions based on the participant’s hand clenching, while applying the painful thermal stimulus to the other arm that was not holding the robot. The researchers also measured oxytocin and cortisol levels (both of which are stress biomarkers) in the patients’ saliva samples.
Furthermore, subjective pain ratings were recorded using an assessment scale and a survey test was administered to assess the patients’ fear of injections and psychological state prior to and after the experiments.
As per findings, the use of wearable soft robots during medical procedures, including vaccinations, may lessen fear as well as the perception of pain, according to senior author Professor Fumihide Tanaka.
Regardless of the experimental conditions, holding the robot helped relieve the experience for patients, and the robot may have also activated the feelings of well-being that can be created by human touch, the researchers observed.
When actual human contact is not possible, such as during pandemics, the use of this robot may be beneficial. Future versions of the robot could use controlled gaze or even augmented reality (AR) technologies to help build a connection with the patient or distract them from pain perception in a variety of situations, the researchers said. This work was supported by JSPS Kakenhi Grant no. 20K21800 and 22K19784.
Category: Technology & Devices
