Healthcare Robots
Healthcare robots help clinicians with rehabilitation, therapy and patient care. Therapy robots guide or assist a patient's movements, so clinicians can run structured, repeatable exercise and track progress over time. The category covers hand and arm devices, gait trainers, wearable exoskeletons and patient care systems. Rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient clinics and research centers are the main buyers, treating people recovering from stroke, spinal cord injury and other neurological or orthopedic conditions. Examples include Hocoma's Lokomat, Tyromotion's Amadeo, the EksoNR, Cyberdyne's HAL and the MyoPro 2+. THG lists therapeutic robots from these and other makers, so you can compare specs and request a quote.
- Hand Therapy: Robotic gloves and finger devices that move or assist the fingers and wrist through repeated exercises. Clinics use them after stroke or hand injury to train grasp, release and fine motor control.
- Arm Therapy: End-effector and exoskeleton systems that support the shoulder, elbow and wrist during reaching tasks, often paired with games. They are used to rebuild arm function after stroke or spinal cord injury.
- Walking Assistance: Treadmill-based gait trainers and overground systems that support body weight and guide leg movement. Rehabilitation centers use them to retrain walking in people who cannot yet walk safely alone.
- Wearable Exoskeletons: Powered suits worn over the legs or arms that move with the patient, from clinic units to personal devices. They support standing, stepping and arm use for people with weakness or paralysis.
- Physical Therapy: Robotic devices for strength, balance, range of motion and coordination training across many conditions. They give therapists repeatable exercises and objective measurements to track progress.
- Patient Care: Robots that help with patient handling, positioning and routine care tasks on wards and in rehabilitation units. They aim to reduce strain on staff and make everyday care more consistent.
Healthcare robots for rehabilitation, therapy and patient care
How clinics compare rehabilitation robots
Start with the patients you treat most. Early stroke, chronic stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and orthopedic recovery each call for different levels of support. Then compare the joints and movements covered, the range of assistance from full guidance to added resistance, and how quickly a therapist can fit and adjust the device between sessions. Look at the exercise and game library, the assessment data the system records, and whether reports export to your records system. For gait trainers, floor space, ceiling height, transfer aids and power supply matter. Finally, check the regulatory status in your market, the staff training the maker requires, service response times and the cost of consumables such as cuffs, straps and harnesses.
Evidence and settings for robot-assisted therapy
Typical settings are inpatient rehabilitation units, outpatient clinics and research centers. The strongest evidence comes from stroke care. A Cochrane review of 45 trials with 1,619 participants, featured by Cochrane in 2018, found that electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training improved activities of daily living, arm function and arm muscle strength, though its lead author said it is still unclear when or how often it should be used. For walking, the 2020 Cochrane review by Mehrholz and colleagues pooled 62 trials with 2,440 participants and found that electromechanical-assisted gait training plus physiotherapy raised the odds of walking independently. Benefits were clearest within three months of a stroke and in people who could not walk independently at the start.
Medical device standards and approvals
When a therapy robot is marketed as a medical device, check its clearance in each market where you plan to use it. The main international safety standard is IEC 80601-2-78, which sets particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of medical robots for rehabilitation, assessment, compensation or alleviation. The IEC lists IEC 80601-2-78:2019+AMD1:2024 as the current consolidated version. It applies to medical robots that physically interact with a patient with an impairment to support or perform rehabilitation, assessment, compensation or alleviation of movement functions, and it excludes external limb prostheses, electric wheelchairs and personal care robots. Ask makers for test reports against this standard, the intended use and contraindications, and the clinician training they require.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a rehabilitation robot cost?
Cost depends on the body part treated, whether the device is stationary or wearable, how much assistance it gives and the software included. Stationary gait systems need more space and infrastructure than tabletop hand devices, which affects both price and setup. Service contracts, staff training and consumables also add to the total.
Does robotic therapy work after a stroke?
Cochrane reviews support it. Robot-assisted arm training improved daily activities, arm function and strength across 45 trials, and electromechanical gait training combined with physiotherapy raised the odds of walking independently across 62 trials. The 2020 walking review found the clearest benefit within three months of a stroke.
What safety standard applies to rehabilitation robots?
IEC 80601-2-78 is the particular standard for basic safety and essential performance of medical robots for rehabilitation, assessment, compensation or alleviation. The IEC lists the 2019 edition with its 2024 amendment as current. Market clearance as a medical device is handled by each country's regulator, so check both.
Sources and further reading
- IEC 80601-2-78:2019+AMD1:2024 CSV (International Electrotechnical Commission): Scope and status of the safety and essential performance standard for medical rehabilitation robots.
- Featured Review: Electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training after stroke (Cochrane): Summary of a 45-trial review of robot-assisted arm training after stroke and its limits.
- Electromechanical-assisted training for walking after stroke (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews): 2020 review of 62 trials on electromechanical and robotic gait training after stroke.