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AIT: Successful use of robots in stroke therapy

A study by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and the British National Robotarium based in Edinburgh/Scotland has investigated the rehabilitation process and the support provided by robots for patients with hemiplegia.

As part of the VITALISE project, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in cooperation with the National Robotarium at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, has now investigated the extent to which people with hemiplegia can be better supported in their upper limb rehabilitation and targeted movement exercises by a combination of social assistive robots (SARs) and brain-computer interfaces (BCI: a device worn on the head with several sensors to measure brain waves). The patients had to raise and lower their arm and the Nao robot imitated their movement exercises, even if the movement was only imagined.

Patients and therapists involved right from the start

In order to create the most authentic conditions possible in the sense of a living lab, the study was conducted in the new tech2people therapy center for neurological disorders, which was opened in Vienna's Seestadt Aspern in autumn 2023. Both patients and therapists were involved in the study.

"Co-design methods are very helpful and work well, especially in the field of eHealth. It was important for us to investigate the user experience as well as the general implementation of the approach for both people with hemiparesis and physiotherapists," explains Markus Garschall from the AIT Centre for Technology Experience. He has also specialized in AAL (Active and Assisted Living) for years and is currently Vice President of AAL AUSTRIA. "At the same time, the transnational collaboration with the scientists from Scotland was also very inspiring; we need a lot more European collaboration and exchange, especially in the healthcare sector," adds Garschall.

Social assistance robots with human-like characteristics open many possibilities, in particular they can support the independent exercises of those affected. "Especially in neurological rehabilitation, a consistent exercise program with many repetitions is necessary to achieve progress. The aim is therefore to use SARs to support and motivate patients in their independent exercise program. However, to ensure that the technology is actually utilized, it is important to evaluate the interaction between the patient and the robot. It was also important for us to gain a professional therapeutic perspective on the use of such a technical set-up for patients so that we could subsequently adapt it according to their wishes," emphasizes Beatrix Wais-Zechmann, researcher at the AIT Center for Technology and herself a physiotherapist.

More information in the press release from 10.07.2024 (in German)

Project website https://vitalise-project.eu 

Project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9GHXt3rS8o

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