TAMPA, Fla. — May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital just introduced a new device to help victims get back on their feet and at the center of it all is artificial intelligence.
Shannon Watkins was loving her visit to Florida this past March, when all of a sudden, her life was turned upside down after suffering a stroke.
“Before, I used to do everything myself, be independent, everything like that, but now, it’s hard,” said Watkins.
When she entered occupational therapy at Tampa General the last thing she expected was to be hooked up with the latest in AI medical technology: BIONIK’s InMotion robotic arm.
“I was sketchy about it at first but it uses your range of motion. Concentrate and coordinate, and move the best as you can, and it helps,” said Watkins.
The arm uses a series of activities and games, making the therapy interactive and fun.
“It’s more motivating for the patient. They can see real-time progress, they’re more engaged in their therapies,” said occupational therapist Samantha Rubio.
Every patient’s session is designed specifically for them.
“The artificial intelligence in the device is actually very subtle, you wouldn’t notice it to the naked eye. When the patient comes in, we do an evaluation where the robot learns what their current range of motion is, their current strength and what areas we still need to work on,” said Rubio.
Shannon said she notices improvement every time she uses it.
“Before, I wasn’t able to do it hardly at all but now I can do it a little bit better. The lines are a little bit straighter, the posture is better,” said Watkins.
TGH is one of only a handful of hospitals in the state to have this type of technology literally at their fingertips.
“A lot of people think therapy is torturous, and they may not feel motivated to come, but as soon as we get them on the device, they kind of forget what they are here for,” said Rubio.
