On October 9, professors Atsuo Takanishi of Waseda University and Akitoshi Katsumata of Asahi University unveiled an oral rehabilitation robot, called “WAO-1,” which is designed to help treat mouth, jaw and facial disorders by performing therapeutic face massages in lieu of physicians and dentists. In November, the developers will begin clinical testing of a prototype robot — built by dental X-ray equipment manufacturer Asahi Roentgen — on live patients in Yokohama.
Equipped with two 50-cm (20-inch) arms that protrude from a chair-sized aluminum box, WAO-1 performs massages by pressing the patient’s face from both sides. Each arm’s position and angle can be precisely controlled, as can the direction of the pressure applied to the face. WAO-1 also relies on a complex system of software and fuses to ensure the pressure does not exceed a certain level, and it is equipped with a “torque limiter function” that allows the arms to […]

Original post by Edo