Sacred Heart Hospital has decided to use the Pleo Dinosaur robot to help patients in their emotional and physical rehabilitation. The lifelike robot gives a beneficial alternative in therapeutic treatment to other "conventional" means of therapy such as pulley systems or utilizing light weights.
Sacred Heart Hospital strives to provide patients the best, most specialized treatment available by blending advanced technology with the Franciscan tradition to improve health by treating the whole person— body, mind and spirit.
Pleo is an animatronics dinosaur toy designed to emulate the appearance and assumed behavior of a week-old baby Camarasaurus. It was designed by Caleb Chung, the co-creator of the Furby, and was manufactured by
Ugobe. The robot’s design combined sensory, articulation, and neuronetics to create a lifelike appearance with organic movement and adaptable behaviors. The dinosaur is also software-upgradeable via SD card or USB interfaces.
Sacred Heart Hospital's therapeutic specialist, Ben Johnson, observed that his patient Gary Sandvig was able to strengthen his arm and hand muscles suffered from a spinal cord injury by stroking the Pleo Dinosaur. The patient was admitted to the hospital after he broke a leg and suffered spinal cord injury from a motorcycle crash. The crash affected the use of his hands.
Sandvig admitted that he got to use more of his one hand and arm within a day playing around with the robot. His pet robot Diesel provided an emotional contact to him and easily substituted for his pet dog.
The hospital also cites recent researches which encouraged the use of robotic devices to increase cognitive responses and enhanced motor skills. A study by Saint Louis University showed the alleviation of loneliness of patients when connecting with companion robotics. The research provided strong support for the success of using robotic devices.
The Pleo Dinosaur responds to the way he is touched, much like a real animal. He also explores, expresses emotion, and reacts to his environment, allowing for increased patient engagement. The dinosaur "sees" with the help of a color camera, "hears" with the use of microphones and has sensors that enable it to "feel."
Nathesh is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Nathesh's articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Amy Tierney
