0gravity.co.uk

Scott Banks has come up with a robot that can take X-Ray pictures of patients (usually those who are suffering from orthopedic injuries) while they are doing normal activities such as walking.  Current X-Ray, MRI and CT systems don’t work to well when it comes to injuries that only persist when the patient’s joints are in motion.

“Our goal is come up with a way to observe and measure how joints are moving when people are actually using them,” Banks said. “We think this will be tremendously powerful, not only for research but also in the clinical setting as well.”

A working prototype is is in use and can shadow a person’s knee, shoulder or other joint with its hand as he or she moves.  In its completed form, the hand will hold lightweight equipment capable of shooting X-rays, while another robot will hold the sensor that captures images of the body as moving videos. Although the robots will be attached to a fixed base, there is room for a person to move around normally within their reach. And in the future, said Banks, “we could put these robots on wheels and they could follow you around.”

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