An Evaluation of the Design and Usability of a Novel Robotic Bilateral Arm Rehabilitation Device for Patients with Stroke

Frontiers in Neurorobotics

Yu-Cheng Pei¹  Kevin C. Tseng²  Jean-Lon Chen⁶  Alice M. K. Wong⁶ 

[1] Center for Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Department of Design, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan;Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan;Product Design and Development Laboratory, Department of Industrial Design, College of Management, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan;School of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan;

关键词: upper limb rehabilitation;    stroke;    rehabilitation device;    usability;    bilateral movement therapy;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnbot.2017.00036

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Study designCase series.Evidence levelIV (case series).IntroductionRobot-assisted therapy for upper limb rehabilitation is an emerging research topic and its design process must integrate engineering, neurological pathophysiology, and clinical needs.Purpose of the studyThis study developed/evaluated the usefulness of a novel rehabilitation device, the MirrorPath, designed for the upper limb rehabilitation of patients with hemiplegic stroke.MethodsThe process follows Tseng’s methodology for innovative product design and development, namely two stages, device development and usability assessment. During the development process, the design was guided by patients’ rehabilitation needs as defined by patients and their therapists. The design applied synchronic movement of the bilateral upper limbs, an approach that is compatible with the bilateral movement therapy and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation theories. MirrorPath consists of a robotic device that guides upper limb movement linked to a control module containing software controlling the robotic movement.ResultsFive healthy subjects were recruited in the pretest, and 4 patients, 4 caregivers, and 4 therapists were recruited in the formal test for usability. All recruited subjects were allocated to the test group, completed the evaluation, and their data were all analyzed. The total system usability scale score obtained from the patients, caregivers, and therapists was 71.8 ± 11.9, indicating a high level of usability and product acceptance.Discussion and conclusionFollowing a standard development process, we could yield a design that meets clinical needs. This low-cost device provides a feasible platform for carrying out robot-assisted bilateral movement therapy of patients with hemiplegic stroke.Clinical Trial Registrationidentifier NCT02698605.

【 授权许可】

Unknown