Página — Ingles 7 (pág. 122)

HOW ROBOTICS IS HELPING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES

Some statistics recovered by the UK government show that 14.1 million people reported a disability in the UK in 2018-19, meaning 21% of the population.

The encouraging news is that technology, especially robotics, is improving the quality of life for disabled people, to help them enjoy the sense of freedom and independence that more able members of the population already have.

Prostheses

Prosthetic limbs have been available for several years now, but the field is advancing to the point where the products that are being created may soon be better than natural limbs in their performance and functionality.

Prostheses are also being developed with bionic skins that integrate with the nervous system, in much the same way as a normal limb.

Other adyancements have seen

prosthetics created using 3D printers, allowing children and adults to use lightweight limbs through everyday life, especially in areas affected by war.

Exoskeletons

Also known as orthoses, exoskeletons are revolutionizing the lifestyles of disabled people and those recovering from brain or spinal cord injuries. Also, advancements are being made that will enable exoskeletons to be controlled from the mind.

The evolution of AI has been developed to advance the world of robotics within the medical field greatly. The future is looking much brighter now for people with disabilities.

Taken and adapted from: Polly. (2020, December 16).How robotics is helping those with disabilities. Robotics & Automation News. https://bit.ly/3l2slju

Subject Connection

Technology



120

one hundred and twenty

UNIT 4• Media & the news