We hear about advances in medical care all the time; but when will we start seeing the impact? Will it be next year? The next 5 years or 10 years? How about right now?
Emerging Technologies – Robotics
Throughout history, medical technology has gone through significant improvements. Scientists and researchers have been looking for cures with ongoing experimentation, time and resources, allowing us to achieve the once impossible.
When it comes to catastrophic type injuries in the workplace, emerging medical technologies will impact the severity of those injuries as well as improve the potential for returning to the workplace setting in a functional capacity.
One example is a man by the name of Mark Pollack, who is both blind and paralyzed. Mark began working with a robotic exoskeleton that allowed him to stand and move around in a controlled setting. Combined with electric nerve stimulation, he was able to feel his legs and his muscles began to start working again. With time, he was able to pull his knee to his chest, which is proof that emerging technologies can stimulate the body to overcome paralysis.
Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
For years, there’s been steady progress in research to help find a cure for blindness. Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to experiment with the use of ‘virtual eyes’ for those who are visually impaired in the workplace. This advancement in technology may provide injured workers the opportunity to ‘return to work’ using AI robots and phone applications (apps) that are able to recognize objects.
While this technology may sound futuristic, it is here now and will only become more advanced.
Aubot and Aipoly, founded and co-founded by Marita Cheng, allow telepresence robots to operate in one place while being remotely controlled by a human from another location. Not only is this convenient for employees, but it opens a whole new door to workplace safety, as these robots are able to identify potential safety violations to avoid accidents from happening.
Improving Wellness Through Devices
Technological advancements have improved both recovery and longevity, but are they too futuristic to impact long term survival? Chief Medical Officer and NASA Consultant, Dr. Jose Morey thinks not. Advancements we have seen in movies or read about in books like health sensors, wearable technology and electronic health records are all being utilized now to predict illness and provide precision medicine. Modern technology used in everyday devices is making futuristic healthcare more common.
There has been a long-standing connection between wellness and the workplace, including a direct or indirect impact on workplace injuries and recovery from those injuries. Technological advancements improve individual wellness by reducing the frequency and severity of workplace injuries.
We are living in the era of digital health which has the potential to make medical care more accessible, affordable and equitable for all. Health care apps can be downloaded on your cell phone to communicate with your doctor in real time, smartwatches are able to connect to a blood pressure cuff, even 3D printers being able to print pill capsules is not as far off as you may think.
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