Our goal is to apply robotics and automation technology to assist, enhance, quantify, and document neurorehabilitation. This paper reviews a clinical trial involving 20 stroke patients with a prototype robot-aided rehabilitation facility developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, (MIT) and tested at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, White Plains, NY. It also presents our ap...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Stroke is a leading cause of disability. Rehabilitation robotics have been developed to aid in recovery after a stroke. This study determined the additional cost of robot-assisted therapy and tested its cost-effectiveness. METHODS We estimated the intervention costs and tracked participants' healthcare costs. We collected quality of life using the Stroke Impact Scale an...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of robot-assisted movement training with conventional techniques for the rehabilitation of upper-limb motor function after stroke. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial, 6-month follow-up. SETTING A Department of Veterans Affairs rehabilitation research and development center. PARTICIPANTS Consecutive sample of 27 subjects with chronic hemiparesis (>6mo after...

The field of computer and robot-assisted rehabilitation system is rooted in the principle that software must be largely errorless, userfriendly, robust, accurate with respect to data, respond in a timely manner, and yet inexpensive, which lead to enhanced patient outcomes. In this digitized age, computerized and robotic rehabilitation systems act as a vital support for disabled individuals. Til...

Lower limb rehabilitation robot (LLRR) can effectively help restore the lower limb’s motor function of patients with hemiplegia caused by stroke through a large number targeted and repetitive training. To improve safety comfort robot-assisted rehabilitation, we developed an LLRR rigid-flexible characteristics; design passive joints is used to human-machine compatibility; flexible unit makes mec...

Recent advancements in robotics and clinical neuroscience have rendered possible the use of robots as therapeutic aids for physical rehabilitation. Implementation of robotics is particularly appealing in motor retraining cases, due to the intensive and repetitive nature of the exercises. The application of robotic technology to rehabilitation also presents new avenues in rehabilitation that wer...

Background: Development and increasing acceptance of rehabilitation robots as well as advances in technology allow new forms of therapy for patients with neurological disorders. Robot-assisted gait therapy can increase the training duration and the intensity for the patients while reducing the physical strain for the therapist. Optimal training effects during gait therapy generally depend on ap...

Received: June 18, 2015. Received in revised form: October 17, 2015. Accepted: October 26, 2015. In this study, a novel variable impedance control for a lower-limb rehabilitation robotic system using voltage control strategy is presented. The majority of existing control approaches are based on control torque strategy, which require the knowledge of robot dynamics as well as dynamic of patients...

This paper proposes a prototype of a lower-limb rehabilitation system for recovering and strengthening patients’ injured lower limbs. The system is composed of traction motors for each leg position, a treadmill as a walking base, tension sensors, microcontrollers controlling motor functions and a main system with graphic user interface. For derivation of reference or normal velocity profiles of...

The paper discusses the background and major motivations which are driving the AuRoRA (Autonomous Robotic platform as a Remedial tool for children with Autism) research project. We argue that mobile robot technology can be used in a useful and scientifically challenging application area, namely the rehabilitation of children with autism. Initial steps of the development of a robotic platform as...