Wrist rehabilitation following stroke: initial clinical results

Abstract

In 1991, a novel robot named MIT-MANUS was introduced as a test bed to study the potential of using robots to assist in and quantify the neuro-rehabilitation of motor function. It introduced a new brand of therapy, offering a highly backdrivable mechanism with a soft and stable feel for the user. MIT-MANUS proved an excellent fit for shoulder and elbow rehabilitation in stroke patients, showing in clinical trials a reduction of impairment in these joints. The greater reduction in impairment was observed in the group of muscles exercised. This suggests a need for additional robots to rehabilitate other target areas of the body. The focus here is a robot for wrist rehabilitation designed to provide three rotational degrees of freedom. A previous paper at ICORR2003 and its companion book described the basic system design and characterization. In this paper we present clinical results from five (5) stroke patients. A comprehensive review of the wrist robot design, characterization, and initial clinical results are being submitted elsewhere (EEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering).