A US university has developed a new robotic platform, which utilises a patient’s brainwaves and muscle activity, to enable post-stroke rehab.
The assistive planar robot includes a closed-loop feedback system to monitor the muscle and brain activity of the user in order to trigger the execution of reach and grab in an adaptive way.
In a new paper, researchers at the University of Rhode Island Motor Control and Rehabilitation lab write: “Numerous rehabilitation approaches such as muscular electrical stimulations, brain-computer interfaces, and transcranial magnetic stimulation have been investigated to assist the affected individuals.
“Only sparse research has been conducted to show the efficacy of assistive planar robots in offering affordable independent solutions to address this demand.
“Designing and developing such robots with satisfactory rehabilitative outcomes could be crucial for high demand tasks such as repetitive motor training as intervention in the early stage of stroke.”
The project aims to advance the rehabilitation of upper-extremity motor functions for post-stroke patients.
User-generated feedback will tailor the device to each user and the robotic device can also provide occupational therapy in the patient’s own home.
The researchers are also working and consulting with stroke specialist and Massachusetts General Hospital neurologist David Lin. In the future, the technology could be used for patients with other categories or neurological diseases.
“Despite technological advancements, the intricate nature of the brain poses a significant challenge,” the researchers say. “Neuroscience remains one of the frontiers due to numerous fundamental questions that await answers.”
Mariusz Furmanek, assistant professor of physical therapy and PI of the URI Motor Control and Rehabilitation Lab, is working with engineering professors Reza Abiri and Yalda Shahriari on the project; which has been supported by a $460,000 award from the National Science Foundation’s Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering programme.
