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May 5, 2025
Title: Stretch with Stretch: Physical Therapy Exercise Games Led by a Mobile Manipulator
Authors: Matthew Lamsey; You Liang Tan; Meredith D. Wells; Madeline Beatty; Zexuan Liu; Arjun Majumdar;
Publication Venue: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
Year: 2024
Traditional physical therapy can be difficult to adhere to due to a shortage of physical therapists. As a result, researchers have developed a novel robotics system that encourages self guided physical therapy for adults with Parkinson's disease. This robot guides users through PT exercises both visually and verbally. It features a soft end effector that serves as a target for users to reach and press with various body parts, such as hands, feet, or knees. The system is designed to be compact, lightweight, and user-friendly, facilitating repetitive and targeted movements essential for therapy. The results suggest that Stretch with Stretch is a promising approach for physical therapy as the users responded with positive feedback.
Title: Experimental results using force-feedback cueing in robot-assisted stroke therapy
Authors: M.J. Johnson; H.F.M. Van der Loos; C.G. Burgar; P. Shor; L.J. Leifer
Publication Venue: IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
Year: 2005
This study explores the use of force-feedback cueing in a robot-assisted driving simulator (driver’s simulation environment for arm therapy) to reduce overuse of the less-affected arm in stroke patients. By increasing resistance on the stronger arm during steering, the system encourages greater engagement of the impaired limb. Results from hemiplegic and control participants show that the force cues significantly improved torque and muscle activation in the impaired arm, particularly during against-gravity movements. The findings suggest that force-feedback could be a promising tool for promoting bilateral arm use in stroke rehabilitation.
Title: Upper Extremity Physical Therapy for Stroke Patients using a General Purpose Robot
Authors: Hee-Tae Jung; Jennifer Baird; Yu-Kyong Choe; Roderic A. Grupen
Publication Venue: IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication
Year: 2011
This study explores how a general-purpose robot can facilitate upper extremity rehabilitation for stroke patients by presenting progressively more challenging reach-touch exercises. Unlike traditional exoskeleton-based rehab robots that assist or resist arm movements, this robot adapts therapy difficulty by adjusting target positions based on patient performance, encouraging voluntary movement without applying physical force. In a 12-week case study with a stroke survivor, the robot-guided therapy led to measurable motor improvements, supported by standardized assessments. The results suggest that general-purpose robots can provide effective, adaptive therapy in a socially engaging way, with potential for use in home-based rehab settings.
Title: Upper limb rehabilitation robot for physical therapy: design, control, and testing
Authors: Erhan Akdoğan
Publication Venue: Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Year: 2014
This study presents the design, control, and testing of a retrofitted rehabilitation robot originally developed for lower limb therapy, now adapted for upper limb rehabilitation. Motivated by the need for more accessible, objective, and home-based physical therapy solutions, the system supports passive, active, and active-assistive exercises using position, force, and electromyography (EMG) feedback. The authors demonstrate that the robot can successfully assist in forearm and shoulder rehabilitation and provide detailed performance evaluation, showing its potential as a cost-effective alternative for clinical and home care use.
Title: Real-Time Pressure Feedback Sensor Designed for Manual Therapy—A Pilot Clinical Feasibility Study
Authors: Eun Hye Jo, Young Kim, Seungwan Jang, Hyun Young Lee, Seungmin Jeong, Ye Eun Kong & Se Dong Min
Publication Venue: CUTECSA
Year: 2022
This study focused on creating measurable standards in physical therapy for the amount of pressure applied during training sessions. By using a novel therapeutic pressure sensor (TPS), the researchers were able to assess how much pressure was applied by each finger of a therapist. This can be extended to how therapy robots should be limited as well as improving therapy plans. On the other hand, many therapists argue that this kind of real time sensing should be wary of being standardized, as the needs for each patient may differ.
Title: Identifying Requirements for the Implementation of Robot-Assisted Physical Therapy in Humanoids: A user-centered design approach
Authors: Simone Nertinger; Abdeldjallil Naceri; Sami Haddadin
Publication Venue: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN)
Year: 2023
This study explores the early stages of designing a humanoid robot capable of performing upper limb physical therapy for older adults, aiming to increase access to home-based rehabilitation. Using a user-centered design approach, the authors conducted clinical observations, expert interviews, and an online survey of physical therapists to gather insights into the needs of geriatric rehabilitation. The findings emphasized the importance of integrating cognitive tasks with physical exercises, prioritizing features like assist-as-needed control, voice commands, and treatment while seated or lying down. These requirements will inform the future development of a dual-arm humanoid capable of delivering personalized, ADL-oriented therapy at home.
Title: An online method to monitor hand muscle tone during robot-assisted rehabilitation
Authors: Raffaele Ranzani, Giogia Chiriatti, Anne Schwarz, Giada Devittori, Roger Gassert, Olivier Lambercy
Publication Venue: Frontiers in Robotics and AI
Year: 2023
Monitoring hand muscle tone during robot-assisted rehabilitation for stroke patients ia important for intensive therapy, including in unsupervised settings like home rehabilitation. The methods involved using the ReHandyBot, a hand rehabilitation robot, to apply controlled fast and slow movements during a sensorimotor therapy exercise. This is meant to help with extremity stiffness and force application and has succeeded in reducing MAS scores associated with daily tasks.
Title: Will Your Next Therapist Be a Robot? - A Review of the Advancements in Robotic Upper Extremity Rehabilitation
Authors: Raouf Fareh, Ammar Elsabe, Mohammed Baziyad, Tunajjina Kawser, Brahim Brahmi, Mohammad H Rahman
Publication Venue: MDPI
Year: 2023
This paper is about advancements in robotic upper extremity rehabilitation through a shortage of physiotherapists. By studying rehabilitative robots based on their structure (exoskeletons and end-effector systems) and the type of therapy provided (passive, active, and bilateral) it goes into control strategies used in these robots. This includes PID, robust, adaptive, and AI-based controllers. The paper also discusses motor learning strategies like game therapy and virtual reality used to enhance patient engagement and implicit learning.
Title: Power-Free Knee Rehabilitation Robot for Home-Based Isokinetic Training
Authors: Yanggang Feng; Haoyang Wu; Jiaxin Ren; Wuxiang Zhang; Xingyu Hu; Haoxiang Jing; Yuebing Li; Yuhang Zhao; Ziyan Wang; Xuzhou Lang; Junjia Xu; Yixin Shao; Xilun Ding
Publication Venue: Nature Communications 14(1): Article 2125
Year: 2025
This paper introduces a lightweight, power-free knee rehabilitation robot designed for home training to manage the bulkiness of existing systems. Its key innovation is achieving power-free operation by recycling the mechanical energy generated by the user during exercise through a controllable motor-winding short strategy. A clinical trial with post-surgical subjects demonstrated significant improvements in muscle growth and strength that surpassed those of existing commercial devices.
Title: Socially Assistive Robotics for Post-Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Maja J. Mataria, Jon Eriksson, David J. Feil-Seifer, Carolee J. Winstein
Publication Venue: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
Year: 2007
Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR) for post-stroke rehabilitation focuses on non-contact patient assistance through social interaction. Its supposed to tackle the loneliness and mental toughness associated with physical therapy. The experiment follows an autonomous mobile robot equipped with motion capture to monitor arm activity and provide encouragement. Findings showed the robot was well-received by patients and therapists, significantly increased patient compliance.
Title: Tbot – Portable Assistive Robotic Arm for Home-Based Stroke Therapy
Authors: Habib Rahman (U. Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and colleagues
Publication Venue: University research project (Univ. of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, College of Engineering & Health Sciences)
Year: 2024
The iTbot is a portable, assistive robotic arm being developed as part of a platform to revolutionize physical therapy delivery for stroke patients. The motivation includes addressing the problem of patients missing physical therapy appointments. This involves using the iTbot in a system that allows therapists to remotely assess and treat patients. The iTbot offers passive, active and resistive therapy modules and engages patients through tablet-based games designed to build muscle strength and range of motion. Overall, it makes therapy less intimidating and more accessible to a wide audience at a low cost.
Title: Exploring the Capabilities of Harmony for Upper-Limb Stroke Therapy
Authors: Ana C. de Oliveira; Chad G. Rose; Kevin Warburton; Evan M. Ogden; Bob Whitford; Robert K. Lee; Ashish D. Deshpande
Publication Venue: IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)
Year: 2019
The Harmony is a bimanual upper-limb exoskeleton designed for post-stroke rehabilitation for coordination. The study used Harmony in an experiment with five stroke survivors, using force/torque control, passive stretching, and assist-as-needed active exercises, while also exploring its potential to assess motor function by analyzing neuromuscular weakness. Findings indicate Harmony's suitability for clinical use with no reported adverse effects and shows promising but not statistically significant improvements in clinical scores.
Title: ROBERT® Rehabilitation Robot
Authors: Life Science Robotics (Denmark) – Company
Publication Venue: Commercial -- Life Science Robotics
Year: 2018
This study out of Summit Medical and Scientific focuses on the ROBERT® robotic device to provide flexible solution for rehabilitation emphasizing low level mobility. The device also aims to provide better conditions for rehabilitation for both patients and healthcare professionals, reduce the strain on therapists by lessening the need for heavy lifts, and allow hospitals and clinics to provide intensive treatment without increasing staff costs. It is a portable robot with a 7 degrees of freedom for full body assistance. A sensing and stimulating (SAS) module is available to provide intelligent sensing of patient intent combined with EMG-triggered Functional Electrical stimulation to support muscle contraction. Overall, it can reduce the load on healthcare professionals.
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