This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase-II project proposes a robotic system for rehabilitation of the arm and hand of stroke survivors. The system builds on hardware developed under a DARPA program and software being developed under the NIH Phase-I project. The existing hardware, called Proficio(tm), is presently being used in Phase I to develop and test BiArm(tm), a system consisting of two Proficio robot arms that enable bimanual rehabilitation. Phase II will focus on the design and development of Teneo(tm), a user- attachment for Proficio that will enable users to train hand-closing and hand-opening motions while simultaneously moving their arm to reach and grasp real objects. This novel system will be supported by a software architecture enabling development of rich visual, haptic, and physics-based environments for meaningful and engaging therapeutic games that can be tailored to patients' abilities and needs. The proposed SBIR Phase-II activities are divided into 3 aims.
The first aim i s to design and integrate an affordable robot end-effector (Teneo) for hand-rehabilitation. The new module will attach to the Proficio robot and will assist patients in performing hand-opening/closing motions to support activities of daily living (reaching for and grasping an object, for example).
The second aim i s to develop software interfaces and robot-control strategies that facilitate development of new rehabilitation strategies and empower therapists to employ activities tailored to each patient. This work will include development of powerful software modules including engaging rehabilitation activities that work in concert with the Proficio/Teneo control system. The third ai is to perform dual-site usability studies at two of the leading rehabilitation research facilities n the country. There are two long-term commercial goals: 1) develop a robotic system that researchers can use to rapidly innovate and develop new data-driven arm-and-hand rehabilitation strategies, and 2) empower therapists to tailor rehabilitation activities to individal patients while tracking progress and keeping patients engaged.
Nearly a half-million Americans each year suffer from a type of stroke that particularly weakens one side of the body. The Phase-I project is developing an accessible robot-based system designed to enable a patient's strong arm to help rehabilitate the weak arm following a stroke. The Phase-II project will build upon this system with a hand-rehabilitation module and advanced software enabling coupled reaching/grasping of real objects.
| Patel, Shyamal; Lorincz, Konrad; Hughes, Richard et al. (2009) Monitoring motor fluctuations in patients with Parkinson's disease using wearable sensors. IEEE Trans Inf Technol Biomed 13:864-73 |
