Robotics for neurorehabilitation: opportunities and challenges to address unmet clinical needs and promote a sustainable integration with AI

Robotic devices are becoming increasingly relevant in neurorehabilitation to support functional assessment and therapy. The design of such systems is extremely complex and their effectiveness is still under continuous investigation through both clinical trials and real-world applications.

Over the past years, considerable progress has led to the development of both experimental prototypes and commercially available devices, which are now used in a variety of clinical settings. Despite these advancements, important challenges remain. These include the need for greater personalization of therapy, improved human–robot interaction, better strategies to ensure long-term patient engagement, and robust integration with existing rehabilitation protocols and multidisciplinary workflows. Moreover, the disruptive adoption of ML/DL algorithms can also play a key role in adjusting robotic action, promoting an effective use, and evaluating the impact of different types of interfaces and feedback modalities.

This workshop aims to critically examine technological advances as well as persistent gaps that limit their broader impact. By reflecting on what has been achieved and what still needs to be addressed, we seek to define future directions for research, innovation, and clinical implementation.

•  15.30 – 15.35: Workshop introduction

• 15.35 – 16.35: Presentations from invited speakers

• 16.35 – 17.00: Round table

• 17.00 – 18.00: Poster session

 Giovanni Morone

Associate Professor, University of L’Aquila and Italian Society of Neurological Rehabilitation (SIRN)

Marco Iosa

Associate Professor, University Sapienza

Federica Bressi

Full Professor, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma and and Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (SIMFER)

Francesca Cordella

Associate Professor, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma and co-chair of the IEEE/RAS Technical Committee on Rehabilitation and Assistive Robotics

One hour will be dedicated to the poster session hosting extended abstracts associated with the workshop. These may include: 

• Regular extended abstracts submitted to I-RIM and associated to the workshop by the Program Committee based on topic affinity.

• Extended abstracts directly submitted to the workshop.

All abstracts, whether submitted directly or assigned by the committee, will be presented together during the dedicated session and  will be published in the I-RIM conference proceedings. 

Submission instructions

Researchers interested in presenting their work during the workshop can submit an extended abstract following the instructions of the I-RIM 3D 2025 call for contributions (https://i-rim.it/it/conferenza-i-rim-3d-2025/contributi/). During the submission, the interested authors should choose this workshop (title: "Robotics for neurorehabilitation: opportunities and challenges to address unmet clinical needs and promote a sustainable integration with AI") as the preferred venue for their presentation under the field "Type of Submission".

Submission link: https://easychair.org/cfp/irim3d_2025

Important dates 

• Abstract submission deadline: September 23rd, 2025

• Notification of acceptance: October 1st, 2025 

• Workshop: October 18th, 2025

Poster instructions

Authors of accepted abstracts will have to prepare a poster in A0 portrait format and present in person during the worshop.