Design and Control of Robotic Systems for Lower Limb Stroke Rehabilitation

Lower extremity stroke rehabilitation exhausts considerable health care resources, is labor intensive, and provides mostly qualitative metrics of patient recovery. To overcome these issues, robots can assist patients in physically manipulating their affected limb and measure the output motion. The robots that have been currently designed, however, provide assistance over a limited set of training motions, are not portable for in-home and in-clinic use, have high cost and may not provide sufficient safety or performance. This thesis proposes the idea of incorporating a mobile drive base into lower extremity rehabilitation robots to create a portable, inherently safe system that provides assistance over a wide range of training motions. A set of rehabilitative motion tasks were established and a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion and force-sensing system was designed to meet high-power, large workspace, and affordability requirements. An admittance controller was implemented, and the feasibility of using this portable, low-cost system for movement assistance was shown through tests on a healthy individual. An improved version of the robot was then developed that added torque sensing and known joint elasticity for use in future clinical testing with a flexible-joint impedance controller

Sustainable Technology and Elderly Life

The coming years will see an exponential increase in the proportion of elderly people in our society. This accelerated growth brings with it major challenges in relation to the sustainability of the system. There are different aspects where these changes will have a special incidence: health systems and their monitoring; the development of a framework in which the elderly can develop their daily lives satisfactorily; and in the design of intelligent cities adapted to the future sociodemographic profile. The discussion of the challenges faced, together with the current technological evolution, can show possible ways of meeting the challenges. There are different aspects where these changes will have a special incidence: health systems and their monitoring; the development of a framework in which the elderly can develop their daily lives satisfactorily; and in the design of intelligent cities adapted to the future sociodemographic profile. This special issue discusses various ways in which sustainable technologies can be applied to improve the lives of the elderly. Six articles on the subject are featured in this volume. From a systematic review of the literature to the development of gamification and health improvement projects. The articles present suggestive proposals for the improvement of the lives of the elderly. The volume is a resource of interest for the scientific community, since it shows different research gaps in the current state of the art. But it is also a document that can help social policy makers and people working in this domain to planning successful projects

Proceedings XXIII Congresso SIAMOC 2023

Il congresso annuale della Società Italiana di Analisi del Movimento in Clinica (SIAMOC), giunto quest’anno alla sua ventitreesima edizione, approda nuovamente a Roma. Il congresso SIAMOC, come ogni anno, è l’occasione per tutti i professionisti che operano nell’ambito dell’analisi del movimento di incontrarsi, presentare i risultati delle proprie ricerche e rimanere aggiornati sulle più recenti innovazioni riguardanti le procedure e le tecnologie per l’analisi del movimento nella pratica clinica. Il congresso SIAMOC 2023 di Roma si propone l’obiettivo di fornire ulteriore impulso ad una già eccellente attività di ricerca italiana nel settore dell’analisi del movimento e di conferirle ulteriore respiro ed impatto internazionale. Oltre ai qualificanti temi tradizionali che riguardano la ricerca di base e applicata in ambito clinico e sportivo, il congresso SIAMOC 2023 intende approfondire ulteriori tematiche di particolare interesse scientifico e di impatto sulla società. Tra questi temi anche quello dell’inserimento lavorativo di persone affette da disabilità anche grazie alla diffusione esponenziale in ambito clinico-occupazionale delle tecnologie robotiche collaborative e quello della protesica innovativa a supporto delle persone con amputazione. Verrà infine affrontato il tema dei nuovi algoritmi di intelligenza artificiale per l’ottimizzazione della classificazione in tempo reale dei pattern motori nei vari campi di applicazione

Tailoring technologies to the rehabilitational needs of stroke survivors

Stroke is a major cause of physical disability. Recovery is possible, and can continue indefinitely. As such, much of it will take place at home, often with minimal support from professional therapists. As computing becomes more pervasive and familiar, opportunities exist to design technology to support rehabilitation in the home environment. However, given the varied nature of disabilities caused by stroke, there is a need for a greater understanding of how to design technology that is sufficiently tailored to the needs of individuals and which is appropriate for usage in their homes. This thesis offers an exploration of these issues, through a series of research activities constructed around the direct participation of stroke survivors and their families. The core of this thesis begins with a consideration of a focus group which was attended by survivors of stroke and their partners. Recorded discussions provide a rich insight into their collective experience of living with stroke, and the implications of these findings for the design of effective rehabilitation technologies are considered. The design of bespoke technologies which were directly tailored to the rehabilitational needs and personal motivations of four stroke survivors is then described. Prototypes of these technologies were deployed for periods ranging from one to seven months. Data recorded throughout this entire process provides a detailed understanding of the factors that have influenced their design, use and impact. Through an analysis of material collected during all of these engagements, this thesis presents a set of contributions which can support the design of better home-based rehabilitation technologies in the future. These contributions support a more general understanding of the interactional needs of individuals who have experienced a dramatic and potentially traumatic change in their life, and of mechanisms for tailoring persuasive computing technologies to the specific motivations of those who use them

Proceedings XXII Congresso SIAMOC 2022

Il congresso annuale della Società Italiana di Analisi del Movimento in Clinica dà l’occasione a tutti i professionisti, dell’ambito clinico e ingegneristico, di incontrarsi, presentare le proprie ricerche e rimanere aggiornati sulle più recenti innovazioni nell’ambito dell’applicazione clinica dei metodi di analisi del movimento, al fine di promuoverne lo studio e le applicazioni cliniche per migliorare la valutazione dei disordini motori, aumentare l’efficacia dei trattamenti attraverso l’analisi quantitativa dei dati e una più focalizzata pianificazione dei trattamenti, ed inoltre per quantificare i risultati delle terapie correnti

Effectiveness of intensive physiotherapy for gait improvement in stroke: systematic review

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of functional disability worldwide. Approximately 80% of post-stroke subjects have motor changes. Improvement of gait pattern is one of the main objectives of physiotherapists intervention in these cases. The real challenge in the recovery of gait after stroke is to understand how the remaining neural networks can be modified, to be able to provide response strategies that compensate for the function of the affected structures. There is evidence that intensive training, including physiotherapy, positively influences neuroplasticity, improving mobility, pattern and gait velocity in post-stroke recovery. Objectives: Review and analyze in a systematic way the experimental studies (RCT) that evaluate the effects of Intensive Physiotherapy on gait improvement in poststroke subjects. Methodology: Were only included all RCT performed in humans, without any specific age, that had a clinical diagnosis of stroke at any stage of evolution, with sensorimotor deficits and functional gait changes. The databases used were: Pubmed, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) and CENTRAL (Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials). Results: After the application of the criteria, there were 4 final studies that were included in the systematic review. 3 of the studies obtained a score of 8 on the PEDro scale and 1 obtained a score of 4. The fact that there is clinical and methodological heterogeneity in the studies evaluated, supports the realization of the current systematic narrative review, without meta-analysis. Discussion: Although the results obtained in the 4 studies are promising, it is important to note that the significant improvements that have been found, should be carefully considered since pilot studies with small samples, such as these, are not designed to test differences between groups, in terms of the effectiveness of the intervention applied. Conclusion: Intensive Physiotherapy seems to be safe and applicable in post-stroke subjects and there are indications that it is effective in improving gait, namely speed, travelled distance and spatiotemporal parameters. However, there is a need to develop more RCTs with larger samples and that evaluate the longterm resultsN/

Tailoring technologies to the rehabilitational needs of stroke survivors

Stroke is a major cause of physical disability. Recovery is possible, and can continue indefinitely. As such, much of it will take place at home, often with minimal support from professional therapists. As computing becomes more pervasive and familiar, opportunities exist to design technology to support rehabilitation in the home environment. However, given the varied nature of disabilities caused by stroke, there is a need for a greater understanding of how to design technology that is sufficiently tailored to the needs of individuals and which is appropriate for usage in their homes. This thesis offers an exploration of these issues, through a series of research activities constructed around the direct participation of stroke survivors and their families. The core of this thesis begins with a consideration of a focus group which was attended by survivors of stroke and their partners. Recorded discussions provide a rich insight into their collective experience of living with stroke, and the implications of these findings for the design of effective rehabilitation technologies are considered. The design of bespoke technologies which were directly tailored to the rehabilitational needs and personal motivations of four stroke survivors is then described. Prototypes of these technologies were deployed for periods ranging from one to seven months. Data recorded throughout this entire process provides a detailed understanding of the factors that have influenced their design, use and impact. Through an analysis of material collected during all of these engagements, this thesis presents a set of contributions which can support the design of better home-based rehabilitation technologies in the future. These contributions support a more general understanding of the interactional needs of individuals who have experienced a dramatic and potentially traumatic change in their life, and of mechanisms for tailoring persuasive computing technologies to the specific motivations of those who use them