Stroke patients or others with neurological injury are turning to the rehabilitation powers of robots with artificial intelligence that help people regain previously lost mobility. BIONIK Laboratories, a global health care company with an office in Watertown, develops robotic "InMotion" systems for the arm, hand and wrist. The FDA-cleared products, which are used in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, work seamlessly by guiding patients with the help of a physical therapist through various movement activities displayed on a monitor. Once the patient has a hand and arm in the InMotion device, robotic therapy takes over, using artificial intelligence to provide the patient as much assistance as needed to work through a series of movements aimed at regaining the patient's mobility. Dr. Eric Dusseux, CEO of BIONIK, said, "We have demonstrated that by using robotic therapy, you can heal faster and better than any conventional therapy. Dusseux said the autonomy and self-esteem experienced by patients using the robots "is exactly what you need when you're a patient suffering from neurological disease." The system even has therapies styled like video games for younger patients. A typical session with the robot may last 30 minutes to an hour, with thousands of people using the 250 systems that have been implemented in over 20 countries. Dusseux said the artificial intelligence data is processed to help patients and doctors get a good idea of progress, often boosting the spirits of those who are frustrated with their limited mobility. "You can imagine the support for the first time after your stroke.

Paraplegics and people who are temporarily wheelchair-bound because of accidents or disease could soon rely on an exoskeleton and Amazon's Alexa digital assistant to help them in the rehabilitation process. Bionik Laboratories' ARKE lower body exoskeleton is an Alexa-enabled device designed to assist users in walking and improving their condition. ARKE was initially made with just tablet control integration. However, Bionik saw the potential of Amazon's voice assistant as a tool that could facilitate the ease of use of the exoskeleton. Hence, by integrating its product with the Amazon Echo, users can simply say voice commands and have the assistive mobility device up and running.

Medical science is seeing a significant boost from 3D printing. New startups in the 3D manufacturing realm are creating better prosthetics and customisable medical devices that are worlds more advanced than what came before. For example two startups – Bioniks and Voodoo Manufacturing – are creating unique prosthetics for patients. Bioniks, a bio-medical printing startup based in Pakistan, has now created a total of 25 bionic arms. These are advanced prosthetics like those of the Bioniks'Robotic Arm' prosthetic that includes motorised joints as well as custom fitting through 3D printing, says Bharathidasan Moorthi, a digital marketing manager representing the company.