Feasibility and Usability Study of a Robot-Assisted Complex Upper and Lower Limb Rehabilitation System in Patients with Stroke

Abstract

Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is a promising treatment for stroke rehabilitation. Although the coordination between the upper and lower limbs is important for locomotor training, commercially available robotics for gait training mainly focus on the restoration of lower limb function. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and usability of complex upper and lower limb RAGT in stroke patients using the GTR-A®, end effector-type robotic device. Patients with subacute stroke (N=9) received 30-minute RAGT thrice a week for two weeks (six sessions). Functionally, the hand grip strength (HGS), Functional Ambulatory Categories, modified Barthel Index, muscle strength test sum score, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go test, and Short Physical Performance Battery were used. The heart rate and a structured questionnaire were used to evaluate cardiorespiratory fitness and the usability of RAGT. Among the nine patients, all functional parameters between the baseline and post-training were significantly improved after RAGT, except for HGS and the muscle strength test. The questionnaire’s mean scores for each domain were as follows: safety 4.40±0.35, effects 4.23±0.31, efficiency 4.22±0.77, and satisfaction 4.41±0.25. The GTR-A® is a feasible and safe robotic device for patients with gait impairment after stroke. It showed functional improvement with endurance training effects.

Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation Architecture Supported by a Distributed Data Acquisition System

“…The rehabilitation robotics era started in the 1990s [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]; since then, a multitude of research teams have designed robots specifically for rehabilitation. Some robots are dedicated to upper limb rehabilitation [ 9 ], others are designed for lower limb rehabilitation [ 10 ], and a few devices can carry the rehabilitation for both of them [ 11 , 12 ]. Some of these reported robots operate in a two-dimensional (2D) environment [ 13 ].…”