Stroke Patient Recovery Aided by MIT Robot
From: Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry
January 2000 - page 26

Robot-assisted therapy for stroke patients appears to promote notable
improvements in arm movement according to researchers at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (Cambridge. MA). The researchers note that stroke
patients receiving the novel form of therapy have demonstrated both
significantly improved short- and long-term recovery when compared with
conventional treatment. 

The first clinical trial of the therapy, which began three years ago,
involved use of a robot, called the MIT-Manus, to move each patient's arm
through a variety of exercises. The researchers indicate that their initial
results were promising. Patients treated with robot-assisted therapy were
found to improve further and faster than a control group that received no
robotic therapy. When the researchers reevaluated 1 2 of the 20 original
patients, they found that those in the robot-assisted group again showed
greater improvement than patients who received no robotic therapy. 

The researchers state that the system allows forces and movements to be
quantified that must be judged by "touch and feel" with traditional
techniques. They add that such data can provide an objective record of a
patient's progress. 

The system entails seating the patient at a table, then placing the lower arm
and wrist into a brace attached to the arm of the robot. The patient is
prompted by a video display to perform an arm exercise. Among the exercises
provided are connecting the dots and drawing the hands of a clock. If the
patient does not respond, the robotic system moves the person's arm. If the
patient starts to move on his or her own, the robot provides adjustable
levels of guidance and assistance. 

During the clinical trial, which lasted slightly more than one year, two
groups of 10 stroke patients received standard therapy. Patients in the
experimental group received an additional daily hour of robot- aided therapy.
The control group received "sham" robot therapy once a week. Although
patients in this group were exposed to the robot, it did not guide them
through exercises. The patients moved the robot manually, using their good
arm to guide the disabled arm to perform exercises. The researchers note
that, although it's unclear whether it was the robot or the additional
exercises that led to the improvements in movements, the results demonstrated
the feasibility of the robotic technique.

http://me.mit.edu/groups/hogan/projects/imaging/hik3.html
http://www.mit.edu/people/verdi/portfolio/manus/index.html
http://rehabrobotics.org/papers/krebs_stroke.html
http://web.mit.edu/hogan/www/