The New Jersey Institute of Technology Robot-Assisted Virtual Rehabilitation (NJIT-RAVR) system for children with cerebral palsy: a feasibility study

Abstract

BackgroundWe hypothesize that the integration of virtual reality (VR) with robot assisted rehabilitation could be successful if applied to children with hemiparetic CP. The combined benefits of increased attention provided by VR and the larger training stimulus afforded by adaptive robotics may increase the beneficial effects of these two approaches synergistically. This paper will describe the NJIT-RAVR system, which combines adaptive robotics with complex VR simulations for the rehabilitation of upper extremity impairments and function in children with CP and examine the feasibility of this system in the context of a two subject training study.MethodsThe NJIT-RAVR system consists of the Haptic Master, a 6 degrees of freedom, admittance controlled robot and a suite of rehabilitation simulations that provide adaptive algorithms for the Haptic Master, allowing the user to interact with rich virtual environments. Two children, a ten year old boy and a seven year old girl, both with spastic hemiplegia secondary to Cerebral Palsy were recruited from the outpatient center of a comprehensive pediatric rehabilitation facility. Subjects performed a battery of clinical testing and kinematic measurements of reaching collected by the NJIT-RAVR system. Subjects trained with the NJIT-RAVR System for one hour, 3 days a week for three weeks. The subjects played a combination of four or five simulations depending on their therapeutic goals, tolerances and preferences. Games were modified to increase difficulty in order to challenge the subjects as their performance improved. The testing battery was repeated following the training period.ResultsBoth participants completed 9 hours of training in 3 weeks. No untoward events occurred and no adverse responses to treatment or complaints of cyber sickness were reported. One participant showed improvements in overall performance on the functional aspects of the testing battery. The second subject made improvements in upper extremity active range of motion and in kinematic measures of reaching movements.ConclusionWe feel that this study establishes the feasibility of integrating robotics and rich virtual environments to address functional limitations and decreased motor performance in children with mild to moderate cerebral palsy.

Aplicación de tecnologías de rehabilitación robótica en niños con lesión del miembro superior

“…En la actualidad, la aplicación de robots para rehabilitación del miembro superior en niños está dando sus primeros pasos y promete un avance promisorio en los próximos años. De esta manera, el robot InMotion2 57,63 , fue el primer sistema adaptado y utilizado en 12 niños entre los 5 y los 12 años de edad con hemiplejia del miembro superior, causada por parálisis cerebral. La terapia se aplicó dos veces por semana, durante ocho semanas, con 60 minutos de duración por cada sesión.…”

A modular low-clearance wrist orthosis for improving wrist motion in children with Cerebral Palsy

“…A handle is employed for the user to grasp as they are performing wrist movements. The InMotion2 [6] and NJIT-RAVR [7] have demonstrated the feasibility of applying robot-assisted therapy to a juvenile population with Cerebral palsy. The structures of these devices remain similar to their stroke therapy relatives, with emphasis is placed on the virtual task environment designed to maintain the user's attention.…”

Robot Control for Remote Ophthalmology and Pediatric Physical Rehabilitation

“…It has been tested with two children with CP to successfully test viability of the platform [91]. The Rutgers Ankle CP is designed to help train the ankle of children with the combined use of a robotic platform under the foot as the controller for a video game console [14].…”