Latest Rehabilitation robotics Stories

Early results suggest that using virtual reality (VR) human-computer interfaces might help adult stroke patients regain arm function and improve their ability to perform standard tasks, when compared to patients who don't use VR. The findings are reported in a new review published in The Cochrane Library. Virtual reality interfaces allow people to become immersed in a computer-generated environment. Most people are used to these in the form of video games, but they show potential as a...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Robot-assisted therapy offers many benefits for stroke patients with a weaker arm, according to a new study, which is the first to use accelerometers to track improvement in patients and compare real world results.Researchers enrolled 20 patients to compare robot-assisted therapy combined with functional training to an active control treatment group. They had patients wear accelerometers on both arms daily as they went about their normal tasks.During the study, both...

Robot-assisted therapy has measurable benefits for patients with a weaker arm following a stroke. This is according to new research featured in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation, published by SAGE, which is the first to use accelerometers to track patients' improvement and compare real world results.The study authors, Keh-chung Lin, Yu-wei Hsieh, Wan-wen Liao - National Taiwan University, Ching-yi Wu - Chang Gung University, and Wan-ying Chang, Department of Physical Medicine and...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Virtual reality games may be an effective way to improve arm strength in stroke survivors, according to new research.Investigators analyzed various studies that included 195 patients who suffered mild to moderate strokes. Each study investigated the effects of electronic games on upper arm strength and function.In the observational studies, researchers found an average 14.7-percent improvement in motor strength after virtual reality sessions and a 20-percent average...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A robot may be the key to keeping people mobile after suffering a stroke. A new study shows therapy involving robotic manipulation of a patient's paralyzed arms combined with standard rehab can improve outcomes.The study involved 60 stroke survivors who suffered paralysis on one side of the body. All the patients suffered a stroke in the previous four to eight weeks and received standard rehabilitation therapy from an occupational therapist.Half of the participants...

American Stroke Association meeting reportTherapy in which robots manipulate paralyzed arms, combined with standard rehabilitation, can improve arm and shoulder mobility in patients after stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2011.Patients on robotic therapy showed marked improvement in two measures of upper extremity function: the Fugl-Meyer flexor synergy score, a 0 to 12 scale with higher numbers reflecting recovery of...

A US study has found that intensive therapy using robots has helped patients improve arm movement years after suffering a stroke. Researchers from Brown University provided three months of training with the machine. After using the technology, many patients had improved quality of life, according to their report which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. UK experts told BBC News that the advances were "exciting", but added that robots were still in the early development...

Study highlights: -- High-intensity, repetitive rehabilitation exercises, whether assisted by a robot or human, can improve movement in a stroke patient's paralyzed arm, even years after the disabling event. -- The finding challenges the notion that little rehabilitation can occur a year after stroke. -- Intense training could potentially improve leg paralysis or cognitive problems long after a stroke, researchers said. SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- High-intensity,...

Virtual reality game technology using Wiiâ„¢ may help recovering stroke patients improve their motor function, according to research presented as a late breaking poster at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.The study found the virtual reality gaming system was safe and feasible strategy to improve motor function after stroke."This is the first randomized clinical study showing that virtual reality using Wiiâ„¢ gaming technology is feasible and safe...

Robot-assisted therapy may help stroke patients attain gains in their physical abilities long after the stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2009.Improvement in this small, randomized study varied with the severity of a patient's disability at the time of rehabilitation: the less disability at the start of the two-week therapy, the more gain in physical ability. "Stroke is the nation's leading cause of adult disability,"...