Robotic Applications in Neuromotor Rehabilitation

Abstract

Current applications of novel robotic engineering to human disease conditions are briefly reviewed in this article. We discuss some examples of assistive technology (e.g., vehicular technology, powered orthoses, and prostheses) and robot-aids or rehabilitators. Robot-aids or rehabilitators are our chosen neologisms to name a new class of robotic devices that represent a substantial departure from prior applications of robotics in rehabilitation. Rather than using robotics as an assistive technology for a disabled individual, we envision robots and computers as supporting and enhancing the productivity of clinicians in their efforts to facilitate a disabled individual's recovery. In this article, we attempt a brief overview of our work including important initial experiments in what promises to be a ground-breaking field. We discuss suggestions for a wider application of modern robotic engineering based on back-driveability to yield objective sensorimotor measurement of sensorimotor behavior and to enhance the therapeutic potential of current neurorehabilitation programs for the disabled.