A new, robotic medical device developed by Filipino medical engineers is now ready for the public.
Called AGAPAY, “to support each other,” this Filipino invention is a robotic exoskeleton that is attached outside of the body’s upper extremity to aid in motor rehabilitation and the physical therapy of stroke and injury patients.
AGAPAY is now available for public use and for local entrepreneurs to manufacture.
With support from the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), De La Salle University’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering & Health Technologies developed the AGAPAY device.
Its first international patent was granted this year. The patent application for the invention was filed last May 2021 with the assistance of DOST’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute.
The latest prototype of the device is activated using high power direct-current or DC motors attached to an adjustable and lightweight frame. It is fused with a real-time biofeedback system that records neuromuscular activity. This design enables the technology to be cost-effective and efficient.
The AGAPAY device can also perform active and passive motion exercises using integrated haptics and a user interface. Haptics involves stimulating touch and motion to reproduce sensations that would be felt by a user interacting directly with physical objects.
Exoskeleton medical devices are common in other countries. However, there are no robotic exoskeletons manufactured locally.
The development of AGAPAY also provides Filipino medical engineers and engineering students the platform from which to develop similar and other technological innovations locally.
AGAPAY will provide an alternative and affordable option for Filipino patients, and could set a standard for robotic rehabilitation technologies in the country, the PCHRD said in a press statement.
