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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
A Rehabilitation Program of Exoskeleton-assisted Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training with Non-immersive Virtual Reality for Stroke Patients
Published on: May 16, 2025
Design of a lightweight wearable exoskeleton with virtual reality feedback for post-stroke hand rehabilitation
Lin Yu1,2, Mengjie Tang2,3, Lingfang Xu1,2
1Department of Visual Communication and Information Technology, Hunan International Economics University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Objectives:
This study aimed to develop and preliminarily evaluate a lightweight wearable hand exoskeleton integrated with virtual reality (VR) feedback for post-stroke hand rehabilitation.
Methods:
A compact exoskeleton with multi-link finger assistance, flex sensors, surface electromyography (EMG), adaptive control, and Unity-based VR tasks was designed. Twelve post-stroke patients completed 30-min sessions, five days per week, for four weeks. Outcomes included MCP and PIP range of motion (ROM), object manipulation time, ARAT, FMA, ADL, safety, and satisfaction.
Results:
MCP ROM improved by 33 ± 7° and PIP ROM by 29 ± 6°, while object manipulation time decreased by 28 ± 10 %. ARAT, FMA, and ADL improved by 11.2 ± 3.1, 8.7 ± 2.0, and 15.0 ± 10.4, respectively. No adverse events were reported, and satisfaction was high.
Conclusions:
The system showed feasibility, safety, usability, and preliminary functional benefits. Larger controlled studies with longer follow-up are needed to confirm clinical efficacy.
