Effector force requirements to enable robotic systems to provide assisted exercise in people with upper limb impairment after stroke

Research and Development of Rehabilitation Systems for the Upper Limbs “PLEMO” Series

The human brain has excellent plasticity in terms of recovery from a stroke. It is expected that neurorehabilitation using an apparatus that applies robotic and virtual reality technology has rehabilitation training effects on stroke patients. Rehabilitation of the upper limbs consists of rehabilitation for shoulders and elbows, and rehabilitation of the fingers and wrists. Both rehabilitations are necessary to improve activities of daily living. Many rehabilitation systems for shoulders and elbows have been effective thus far. In this review, we introduce rehabilitation systems for the shoulders, elbows, and wrists of the upper limbs “PLEMO” series using force presentation technology with brakes. Rehabilitation systems using brakes are essentially safe unlike rehabilitation systems using actuators.

A Review of Robotics in Neurorehabilitation: Towards an Automated Process for Upper Limb

Robot-mediated neurorehabilitation is a growing field that seeks to incorporate advances in robotics combined with neuroscience and rehabilitation to define new methods for treating problems related with neurological diseases. In this paper, a systematic literature review is conducted to identify the contribution of robotics for upper limb neurorehabilitation, highlighting its relation with the rehabilitation cycle, and to clarify the prospective research directions in the development of more autonomous rehabilitation processes. With this aim, first, a study and definition of a general rehabilitation process are made, and then, it is particularized for the case of neurorehabilitation, identifying the components involved in the cycle and their degree of interaction between them. Next, this generic process is compared with the current literature in robotics focused on upper limb treatment, analyzing which components of this rehabilitation cycle are being investigated. Finally, the challenges and opportunities to obtain more autonomous rehabilitation processes are discussed. In addition, based on this study, a series of technical requirements that should be taken into account when designing and implementing autonomous robotic systems for rehabilitation is presented and discussed.

Development of the iPAM MkII system and description of a randomized control trial with acute stroke patients

iPAM (intelligent Pneumatic Arm Movement) is a dual robot system for providing assistive upper-limb exercise to people with arm weakness as a result of stroke. This paper highlights refinements made to the system in the development of iPAM MkII. The rationale of an on-going random control trial using the iPAM MkII is also presented.