Behind the Scenes: Barrett's All-Hands Approach to Advanced Occupational Therapy

Long before Barrett Medical was driving innovation in upper-extremity rehabilitation, Barrett Advanced Robotics led the invention of the very first human-robot interaction device. With Bill Townsend (Ph.D.) at the helm, the WAM arm saw massive success. Bill saw further potential in the field of therapeutic robotics, eventually leading the development of Burt, a smooth, precise, safe, and effective robotic therapy device producing positive results for thousands of patients today. 

 

Read on to find out how Barrett Medical, a sister company of Barrett Technology, is taking an all-hands approach towards advancing Occupational Therapy. 

Redefining Friction in Robotics

Here at Barrett, friction has two meanings: Metaphorically, friction created in the interaction between our robot and our patients; and physically, friction between the specially engineered parts of our product. 

 

  • Patient-robot friction – anything that discourages the patient from using the device – is most clearly seen when robots are not safe. However, Barrett underwent a meticulous 4-year process to ensure the safety of the Burt device. Not only did it meet ISO 60601 robot-human interaction requirements but it's now been implemented in almost 25 different hospitals! Thanks to these safety measures, as well as a 1-minute set-up time, countless patients use the device every day as they recover from Traumatic Brain injuries.

 

  • Motor Friction - regardless of the type of friction, we don’t want it! With Bill’s extensive background in mechanical engineering and robotics, we’ve reduced friction within the robotic components by a staggering 98%. From our back-driveability to energy-efficient tiny motors, the robot demands far less energy than competitors and keeps patients safe.

 

Synergy for Success: 

 

At Barrett, we pride ourselves on ensuring efficient communication, organization, and delegation amongst our teams. Within Barrett Technologies lies both our Medical and Advanced Robotics departments, with many of the same engineers working on projects between both departments. Since its beginnings, Barrett has had innovative Engineering at its core, and it’s still true today when over 40% of employees are engineers. The team divides as follows: 

 

1. Engineering: Design and test new ideas for software, mechanics, and games on Burt. Bill cites constant communication between engineers and builders as a core component of the team, noting that even the smallest changes are reported directly to engineers. For something even as small as a threaded screw, builders will tell engineering to investigate other methods for product creation.


2. Builders: This group assembles Burt machines in their streamlined construction center. Building WAM arms and Burt machines, builders manage multiple projects simultaneously, completing each build in just a few weeks. 

 

3. Assistance: Though Burt never fails, the 5-person Assistance team is ready for any scenario. Only 1 out of the first 50 robots installed needed to phone the Assistance team – they hadn’t plugged it in.

 

4. Order Coordinators: Three members of Barrett’s team are specially devoted to ensuring products, parts, and robots arrive on time at every step of the way. Over each of its 50 deliveries, Barrett has ensured robots have been in place and ready to go long before patients are in the room.

5. Traveling Salesmen: A classic problem for Computer geeks and Programmers alike, Barrett seems to have it all figured out. Four vans are stashed in each corner of the US, and each one contains a Burt. Barrett Sales team always has at least one of these vans in action, traveling around their region to complete over 100 product demos each year. 

Barrett’s team is centered in collaboration, continuous improvement, and cutting-edge engineering. Every part of their team is especially coordinated to ensure that “Burt is best” stays true. Whether that means 8-hour drives in 110º heat with the sales team or extensive patient-robot interaction research – Burt is only getting better. 

Thanks for reading! If stories from the Traveling Sales team sound interesting to you, subscribe to our blog and we’ll let you know when that story comes out! For more information on the Burt itself, click here to access our site. 

 

Hannah Cox