Development of a Novel Task-oriented Rehabilitation Program using a Bimanual Exoskeleton Robotic Hand

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Neurorehabilitation
• Occupational Therapy

Background:

• Stroke often results in impaired upper limb function and loss of motor control.
• Conventional occupational training strategies need adaptation for rehabilitation robotics.
• Robot-assisted therapy offers potential for motor recovery in patients with hand dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a robot-assisted hand rehabilitation protocol for patients with impaired upper limb function.
• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a novel training program using the Mirror Hand system.
• To investigate the application of occupational therapy concepts within a robotic rehabilitation framework.

Main Methods:

• A protocol was developed combining novel robotic technology (Mirror Hand exoskeleton) and occupational therapy concepts.
• Bimanual movement training (BMT) was employed, where the affected hand's movement mirrored the unaffected hand's motion via a sensor glove.
• The training involved passive range of motion, robot-assisted BMT, and task-oriented training with five different objects (peg, cubes, ball, cylinder).

Main Results:

• Healthy subjects and stroke patients successfully grasped various objects using the robot-assisted hand.
• The training program demonstrated feasibility and acceptability in both healthy participants and stroke survivors.
• Robot-assisted task-oriented training showed positive outcomes in terms of user engagement and adherence.

Conclusions:

• The developed robot-assisted hand rehabilitation protocol is feasible and acceptable for patients with impaired upper limb function, including stroke survivors.
• The Mirror Hand system, utilizing bimanual movement training, shows promise for enhancing motor control and grasping abilities.
• This approach effectively integrates robotic technology with occupational therapy principles for effective rehabilitation.