Pedbothome: Robotically-Assisted Ankle Rehabilitation System For Children With Cerebral Palsy*

Abstract

Our research team has developed two versions of an ankle robot for children with cerebral palsy. Both devices provide three degrees of freedom and are connected to an airplane video game. The child uses his/her foot as the controller for the plane and attempts to fly through a series of hoops arranged to manipulate the foot across the ankle joint. The first device is for lab-based therapy and four children have completed 20 sessions each with the device. The second device is for home-based therapy and two children have completed a 28-day trial using the device at home. Both studies were done under Institutional Review Board approval and all participants improved ankle range of motion. Further studies are ongoing to gather more data and validate the results.