Robotics is the technical branch concerned with the design, building, operation, and use of robots. Rehabilitation robotics is an area of study dedicated to prolonging rehabilitation via the use of robotic equipment. The goal of rehabilitation is to restore part or all of the patient's physical, sensory, and mental capacities that have been lost as a result of accident, sickness, or disease. Rehabilitation entails assisting the patient in compensating for impairments that cannot be corrected medically. It is used to treat a variety of injuries, illnesses, and diseases, such as cancer, amputations, arthritis, cardiac disease, orthopedic injuries, neurological disorders, stroke, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. Robots allow individuals with severe paresis to move their upper limbs passively. Passive activities engage regions of the brain that are involved in active motions. Robots can sustain the weight of a limb in contrast to gravity or due to physical interaction between the robot and the person in patients with some movement capabilities. Depending on the sort of control system, a robot and a patient can exchange forces or share positions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 200,000 persons suffered from spinal cord injury in the United States in 2016, with an annual incidence rate of 15-40 new cases per million inhabitants, or nearly 12,000 to 20,000 new cases each year. The worldwide senior population, as well as the rising prevalence of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, dementia, cerebral palsy, and other age-related impairments, are driving the global market for robotic rehabilitation. Due to their high vulnerability to falls and injuries, the geriatric population relies heavily on rehabilitation robots, which drives the market growth for the equipment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated that approximately 52.5 million adults in the U.S. suffer from arthritis i.e. nearly 23% of the total adult population, in November 2013. This creates a highly conducive environment for the growth of the global rehabilitation robots market.