TY - GEN
T1 - Grasp-training robot to activate neural control loop for reflex and experimental verification
AU - Okajima, Shotaro
AU - Alnajjar, Fady S.
AU - Yamasaki, Hiroshi
AU - Itkonen, Matti
AU - Garcia, Alvaro Costa
AU - Hasegawa, Yasuhisa
AU - Shimoda, Shingo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 IEEE.
PY - 2018/9/10
Y1 - 2018/9/10
N2 - Using a rehabilitation robot to activate motion intention and reflex response simultaneously is an effective approach to aiding recovery from paralysis caused by neurological disorders. Mechanical motions supported by conventional robots are, however, not enough to activate reflex. In this paper, we propose a grasp-training robot that can stimulate the grasp reflex of a paralyzed hand by pushing the hand onto an elastic bar while supporting the grasping movements. In addition to this feature, we discuss the robot design in relation to its usability and wearability for ease of use in clinical practice. Experimental results obtained from healthy subjects show that the proposed robot can support grasping in a way similar to the traditional range-of-motion exercise used by therapists for grasp rehabilitation. Combining this appropriate grasping-motion support and the mechanism for pushing the hand onto an elastic bar succeeds in activating the grasp reflex of a completely paralyzed patient in a clinical test that involves monitoring electromyography signals from the paralyzed hand.
AB - Using a rehabilitation robot to activate motion intention and reflex response simultaneously is an effective approach to aiding recovery from paralysis caused by neurological disorders. Mechanical motions supported by conventional robots are, however, not enough to activate reflex. In this paper, we propose a grasp-training robot that can stimulate the grasp reflex of a paralyzed hand by pushing the hand onto an elastic bar while supporting the grasping movements. In addition to this feature, we discuss the robot design in relation to its usability and wearability for ease of use in clinical practice. Experimental results obtained from healthy subjects show that the proposed robot can support grasping in a way similar to the traditional range-of-motion exercise used by therapists for grasp rehabilitation. Combining this appropriate grasping-motion support and the mechanism for pushing the hand onto an elastic bar succeeds in activating the grasp reflex of a completely paralyzed patient in a clinical test that involves monitoring electromyography signals from the paralyzed hand.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063138213&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85063138213&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/ICRA.2018.8461114
DO - 10.1109/ICRA.2018.8461114
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85063138213
T3 - Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
SP - 1849
EP - 1854
BT - 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2018
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2018
Y2 - 21 May 2018 through 25 May 2018
ER -