Friday, February 21, 2020

Artificial Intelligence in Physical Therapy; stops with engagement






An Orthopedic doctor can do surgery on your knee from 3000 miles away or at the local coffee shop. 

Siri or Alexa will get you a ride, in a few hours a driverless car will take you home, where an intelligent symptom checker will monitor your recovery from anesthesia, alert you to take your medications, and beep twice for your every 30-minute range of motion leg slides.

Two weeks later, you go to Walmart for Physical Therapy for biometric for your first biometric follow up.  Standing on force plate to measure your balance, when a robotic arm reaches out from the wall to measure your range and your strength.  Doing well? Do these exercises, come back next week for the next level of exercise.

Artificial intelligence has made it into the surgery room.  Artificial Intelligence in Physical Therapy?  It seems like it might work, unless Physical Therapists remain committed to an experience AI cannot provide, like a look in the eye instead of more screen time.