Researchers use robotics to help stroke survivors

As part of a collection of studies conducted on stroke rehabilitation, VA Maryland Health Care System researchers are exploring robotics to better rehabilitate stroke survivors and to help them achieve functions that are as close to normal as possible.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Researchers at the VA Maryland Health Care System have found that an adaptive approach to stroke treatment can help stroke survivors improve gait. Using a specialized ankle robot – Anklebot − researchers can train participants in various ways to improve control of their weakened leg, either by playing videogames from a seated position or during task-oriented locomotor training on a treadmill. Read more →

InMotion Robots For Rehabilitation Featured in Biz Tech Magazine

“We’re definitely doing something that’s very interesting with technology. We’re really changing people’s lives.” — Rodolfo Rohr, President and CEO

It’s been 24 years since MIT scientists began looking into using robots to help stroke victims recover motor skills.

Because neuroscience research points to evidence that the brain is not hard-wired — it’s flexible and can recover from ­injury — MIT professors Neville ­Hogan and Hermano I. Krebs at the ­Newman Lab for biomechanics and human ­rehabilitation are using advanced robotic technology to enhance the brain’s ability to recover from neurologic injury.

Through the MIT-Manus project, they led a team to develop robotic devices that help clinicians deliver intensive interactive therapy in an efficient manner. The robots help with the same movements that patients perform with physical therapists’ guidance, but patients can do far more repetitions with the robots. Plus, the robots can objectively measure each patient’s progress.

In 1998, Interactive Motion Technologies (IMT) formed to manufacture the clinical version of the MIT-Manus–InMotion robots for clinical research around the world. Fifteen years later, numerous randomized controlled clinical trials have resulted in objective clinical evidence that, CEO Rohr says, shows the technology used in a clinical setting can improve patient outcomes.

“It’s really what gets us through the tough times,” he says. “We’re making a difference in people’s lives.”

Patients report that the robots have helped them regain hope in living. “It’s not a silver bullet. We’re still at the start of the journey,” Rohr says. “But when people start to regain some movement and gain more control in their lives, you can see the real benefits.”

The InMotion robots are clinical tools to deliver high-intensity, interactive therapy using video games. Clinicians are now able to keep patients continously enagaged with customizable progressive therapy protocols. Patients report that therapy with the robots is fun, and in some cases, they see benefits after the first session. The American Heart ­Association recently recommended that robot-assisted therapy be used for upper-­extremity motor rehabilitation in stroke patients.

Each system consists of a robot, as well as a computer and software developed by IMT, an Acer monitor, and a Seal Shield keyboard and mouse.

Through the clinical trials, IMT has substantially revised the hardware and software it uses, Rohr says. The results of the trials “have allowed us to learn what type of robotic assistance should be used to maximize patient recovery,” he says. “We have learned that a patient must actively attempt to move, and the robot should only assist as needed.”

The team has also evolved its robot into a precise clinical evaluation tool capable of providing results that can be closely correlated with traditional assessment scales.

The InMotion robots have changed in other ways as well. “We’ve improved our products quite a bit over the years,” Rohr says.

Their universal design makes them easy to use and prepare for patients. Even patients in wheelchairs can use the robots, which is fundamental for clinical efficiency and utilization, he says. The robots are also compact and moveable, so they can function in many different hospital settings.

The next step is to develop more affordable devices that patients could purchase or rent on their own, instead of using them solely through clinics.

“We’re definitely doing something that’s very interesting with technology,” Rohr says. “We’re really changing people’s lives.”

Read the Full Article