Time-Based and Path-Based Analysis of Upper-Limb Movements during Activities of Daily Living.

Patients after stroke need to re-learn functional movements required for independent living throughout the rehabilitation process. In the study, we used a wearable sensory system for monitoring the movement of the upper limbs while performing activities of daily living. We implemented time-based and path-based segmentation of movement trajectories and muscle activity to quantify the activities of the unaffected and the affected upper limbs.

Collaborative Robot Precision Task in Medical Microbiology Laboratory.

This study focuses on the feasibility of collaborative robot implementation in a medical microbiology laboratory by demonstrating fine tasks using kinesthetic teaching. Fine tasks require sub-millimetre positioning accuracy. Bacterial colony picking and identification was used as a case study.

Infant posture and movement analysis using a sensor-supported gym with toys.

Infant posture and motor pattern development are normally analyzed by clinical assessment scales. Lately, this approach is combined with the use of sensor-supported systems, such as optical, inertial, and electromagnetic measurement systems, as well as novel assessment devices, such as CareToy. CareToy is a modular device for assessment and rehabilitation of preterm infants, comprising pressure mattresses, inertial and magnetic measurement units, and sensorized toys.

Using Inertial Measurement Units and Electromyography to Quantify Movement during Action Research Arm Test Execution.

In patients after stroke, ability of the upper limb is commonly assessed with standardised clinical tests that provide a complete upper limb assessment. This paper presents quantification of upper limb movement during the execution of Action research arm test (ARAT) using a wearable system of inertial measurement units (IMU) for kinematic quantification and electromyography (EMG) sensors for muscle activity analysis. The test was executed with each arm by a group of healthy subjects and a group of patients after stroke allocated into subgroups based on their clinical scores.

An affordable, adaptable, and hybrid assistive device for upper-limb neurorehabilitation.

The paper presents a multisensory and multimodal device for neuromuscular rehabilitation of the upper limb, designed to enable enriched rehabilitation treatment in both clinical and home environments. Originating from an existing low-cost, variable-stiffness rehabilitation device, it expands its functionalities by integrating additional modules in order to augment application scenarios and applicable clinical techniques. The newly developed system focuses on the integration of a wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation system, a virtual rehabilitation scenario, a low-cost unobtrusive sensory system and a patient model for adapting training task parameters.

CareToy: Stimulation and Assessment of Preterm Infant's Activity Using a Novel Sensorized System.

Early intervention programs aim at improving cognitive and motor outcomes of preterm infants. Intensive custom-tailored training activities are usually accompanied by assessment procedures, which have shortcomings, such as subjectivity, complex setups, and need for structured environments. A novel sensorized system, called CareToy, was designed to provide stimulation in the form of goal-directed activity training scenarios and motor pattern assessment of main developmental milestones, such as rolling activity, grasping, and postural stability.

Sensory data fusion of pressure mattress and wireless inertial magnetic measurement units.

Head movement of infants is an important parameter for analysing infant motor patterns. Despite its importance, this field has received little sensory-based research in the past years. Therefore, we present a sensory-supported data fusion model for head movement analysis of infants in supine position.

Infant trunk posture and arm movement assessment using pressure mattress, inertial and magnetic measurement units (IMUs).

Background: Existing motor pattern assessment methods, such as digital cameras and optoelectronic systems, suffer from object obstruction and require complex setups. To overcome these drawbacks, this paper presents a novel approach for biomechanical evaluation of newborn motor skills development. Multi-sensor measurement system comprising pressure mattress and IMUs fixed on trunk and arms is proposed and used as alternative to existing methods.

Dynamic symmetrical pattern projection based laser triangulation sensor for precise surface position measurement of various material types.

This paper describes a custom, material-type-independent laser-triangulation-based measurement system that utilizes a high-quality ultraviolet laser beam. Laser structuring applications demand material surface alignment regarding the laser focus position, where fabrication conditions are optimal. Robust alignment of various material types was solved by introducing dynamic symmetrical pattern projection, and a "double curve fitting" centroid detection algorithm with subsurface scattering compensation.

Skill transfer from symmetric and asymmetric bimanual training using a robotic system to single limb performance.

Background: Humans are capable of fast adaptation to new unknown dynamics that affect their movements. Such motor learning is also believed to be an important part of motor rehabilitation. Bimanual training can improve post-stroke rehabilitation outcome and is associated with interlimb coordination between both limbs.

Psychophysiological responses to robot training in different recovery phases after stroke.

Psychophysiological responses have become a valuable tool in human-robot interaction since they provide an objective estimate of the user's psychological state. Unfortunately, their usefulness in rehabilitation robotics is uncertain since they are influenced by both physical activity and pathological conditions such as stroke. We performed psychophysiological measurements in subacute and chronic stroke patients as well as healthy controls during a reaching and grasping exercise task performed in a multimodal virtual environment.

Challenges in biocooperative rehabilitation robotics.

Psychological states such as mood, motivation and engagement are known to be critical for the success of rehabilitation, and encouraging unmotivated stroke patients improves the likelihood of their eventual recovery. Psychological factors can be incorporated into the closed-loop control of biocooperative rehabilitation systems, augmenting the device with critical information about the patient state. However, in rehabilitation robotics, interpretation of psychophysiological measurements is made complex by the multi-task environment, the presence of strenuous physical activity and patient's damage to the central and autonomic nervous systems.

River multimodal scenario for rehabilitation robotics.

This paper presents the novel "River" multimodal rehabilitation robotics scenario that includes video, audio and haptic modalities. Elements contributing to intrinsic motivation are carefully joined in the three modalities to increase motivation of the user. The user first needs to perform a motor action, then receives a cognitive challenge that is solved with adequate motor activity.

Task difficulty adjustment in biocooperative rehabilitation using psychophysiological responses.

This study presents a biocooperative feedback loop where the difficulty of an upper extremity rehabilitation task is adjusted based on four psychophysiological measurements: heart rate, skin conductance, respiration and skin temperature. They are used both by themselves and in combination with task performance and biomechanics. Different variants of linear discriminant analysis are used for data fusion, including a variant that can adjust the fusion rules online and thus gradually adapt to the subject.

Real-time closed-loop control of cognitive load in neurological patients during robot-assisted gait training.

Cognitively challenging training sessions during robot-assisted gait training after stroke were shown to be key requirements for the success of rehabilitation. Despite a broad variability of cognitive impairments amongst the stroke population, current rehabilitation environments do not adapt to the cognitive capabilities of the patient, as cognitive load cannot be objectively assessed in real-time. We provided healthy subjects and stroke patients with a virtual task during robot-assisted gait training, which allowed modulating cognitive load by adapting the difficulty level of the task.

Psychophysiological measurements in a biocooperative feedback loop for upper extremity rehabilitation.

This paper examines the usefulness of psychophysiological measurements in a biocooperative feedback loop that adjusts the difficulty of an upper extremity rehabilitation task. Psychophysiological measurements (heart rate, skin conductance, respiration, and skin temperature) were used both by themselves and in combination with task performance and biomechanics. Data fusion was performed with discriminant analysis, and a special adaptive version was implemented that can gradually adapt to a subject.

Evaluation of upper extremity robot-assistances in subacute and chronic stroke subjects.

Background: Robotic systems are becoming increasingly common in upper extremity stroke rehabilitation. Recent studies have already shown that the use of rehabilitation robots can improve recovery. This paper evaluates the effect of different modes of robot-assistances in a complex virtual environment on the subjects' ability to complete the task as well as on various haptic parameters arising from the human-robot interaction.

Psychophysiological responses to robotic rehabilitation tasks in stroke.

This paper presents the analysis of four psychophysiological responses in post-stroke upper extremity rehabilitation. The goal was to determine which psychophysiological responses would provide the most reliable information about subjects' psychological states during rehabilitation. Heart rate, skin conductance, respiration, and skin temperature were recorded in a stroke group and a control group during two difficulty levels of a pick-and-place task performed in a virtual environment using a haptic robot and during a cognitive task.

ARMin: a robot for patient-cooperative arm therapy.

Task-oriented, repetitive and intensive arm training can enhance arm rehabilitation in patients with paralyzed upper extremities due to lesions of the central nervous system. There is evidence that the training duration is a key factor for the therapy progress. Robot-supported therapy can improve the rehabilitation allowing more intensive training.

Unsupported standing with minimized ankle muscle fatigue.

In the past, limited unsupported standing has been restored in patients with thoracic spinal cord injury through open-loop functional electrical stimulation of paralyzed knee extensor muscles and the support of intact arm musculature. Here an optimal control system for paralyzed ankle muscles was designed that enables the subject to stand without hand support in a sagittal plane. The paraplegic subject was conceptualized as an underactuated double inverted pendulum structure with an active degree of freedom in the upper trunk and a passive degree of freedom in the paralyzed ankle joints.

The biomechanics of standing and balancing in paralyzed people.

Prolonged immobilization results in several physiological problems. It has been demonstrated that standing exercises can ameliorate many of these problems. Standing exercises can be performed efficiently with the help of functional electrical stimulation (FES).