Bimanual motor skill learning and robotic assistance for chronic hemiparetic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

Using robotic devices might improve recovery post-stroke, but the optimal way to apply robotic assistance has yet to be determined. The current study aimed to investigate whether training under the robotic active-assisted mode improves bimanual motor skill learning (biMSkL) more than training under the active mode in stroke patients. Twenty-six healthy individuals (HI) and 23 chronic hemiparetic stroke patients with a detectable lesion on MRI or CT scan, who demonstrated motor deficits in the upper limb, were randomly allocated to two parallel groups.

Assessment of upper limb spasticity in stroke patients using the robotic device REAplan.

Objective:  To assess the capacity of the robotic device REAplan to measure overall upper limb peak resistance force, as a reflection of upper limb spasticity.

Methods:  Twelve patients with chronic stroke presenting upper limb spasticity were recruited to the study. Patients underwent musculocutaneous motor nerve block to reduce the spasticity of elbow flexor muscles.

Optimal design of an alignment-free two-DOF rehabilitation robot for the shoulder complex.

This paper presents the optimal design of an alignment-free exoskeleton for the rehabilitation of the shoulder complex. This robot structure is constituted of two actuated joints and is linked to the arm through passive degrees of freedom (DOFs) to drive the flexion-extension and abduction-adduction movements of the upper arm. The optimal design of this structure is performed through two steps.