The use of robotics and artificial intelligence in upper extremity rehabilitation following traumatic injury: A scoping review

With the recent advances in technology and its increased use in society, healthcare practices work to identify areas where technology can be implemented to enhance patient care. Rehabilitation has begun to incorporate the use of robotics and artificial intelligence to facilitate positive outcomes and assist in achieving patient goals following injury. While traumatic upper extremity injuries can result in increased levels of pain and disability for an individual, it is not clear how robotics and artificial intelligence have been used in hand rehabilitation to address these issues.

The objective of this study is to understand the extent of the use of robotics and artificial intelligence for traumatic upper extremity injuries.

Scoping review.

The search strategy was conducted in Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO and identified 7105 studies published between 2014 and 2024. Following title and abstract screening and removal of duplicates, 122 full-text articles were screened. A total of 13 papers were included that used artificial intelligence, robotics, or other technology in rehabilitation programs for individuals with traumatic upper extremity injuries.

Of the 13 included studies: 11 used robotics such as the KINARM Exoskeleton, the Hybrid Assistive Limb, and the WRISTBOT, and two used artificial intelligence including chatbots and brain-computer interface. Multiple outcomes were reported with the most common including range of motion, strength, pain, function, and joint sense.

Currently, there is a wide variety of different forms of robotics with very little reported use of artificial intelligence for traumatic upper extremity injuries. There exists opportunities for future research to further investigate how these technologies can influence clinical outcomes for patients with traumatic upper extremity injuries.