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Development and Upgrade of a Robot That Enables Three-Dimensional Trunk Motion and Lower Limb Exercise for Stroke
Justin Kim1, Philbert Chen2, Jacob Kim3
1Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA, illinois.edu.
Background:
Stroke impairs functional independence including gait ability. While robot-aided rehabilitation techniques have been developed, there is a need for a robotic system that promotes three-dimensional (3D) movement of the trunk and gait ability while providing automatic function evaluation and individually optimized prescriptions for stroke patients.
Objective:
To assess the efficacy and safety of a novel trunk and lower limb robotic system for patients with hemiplegia due to chronic stroke.
Methods:
This study employed a single-arm, before-after trial design conducted in an institutional setting. Twenty individuals (eight males; mean age, 52.3 ± 11.8 years) with hemiplegia resulting from chronic stroke (≥ 12 months postonset) who showed no change in the Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) for at least 2 months prior to baseline were enrolled. Participants underwent robot-assisted training using a system composed of trunk, upright, and lower extremity modules. Each participant received 30-min sessions, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. The robotic system provided real-time kinematic motion data to support rehabilitation exercises. Primary outcomes included changes in functional evaluation and performance scores from baseline to postintervention. Additionally, a feasibility survey was administered to assess user satisfaction and identify areas for system improvement.
Results:
In all patients, the functional scores did not differ significantly between baseline and 1 month after the robotic intervention. However, there were improvements in the performance scores of lateral and forward bending of the trunk while sitting, forward bending ability during sit-to-stand activity, weight transfer, and lateral and forward bending of the trunk while standing 1 month after the intervention (p < 0.05). The user experience survey showed satisfaction in 16 of 20 patients due to the easy and safe operation of the robot.
Conclusions:
The proposed robotic system was safe and convenient to use and was associated with improvements in selected kinematic parameters.
