Development of a dual robotic system for upper-limb stroke rehabilitation

Stroke is a common condition resulting in 30,000 people per annum left with significant disability. In patients with severe arm paresis after stroke, functional recovery in the affected arm is poor. Inadequate intensity of treatment is cited as one factor accounting for the lack arm recovery found in some studies. Given that physical therapy resource is limited, strategies to enhance the physiotherapists' efforts are needed. One approach is to use robotic techniques to augment movement therapy. Kinematic analysis of upper limb movement during a patient's physiotherapy session was used to determine the appropriate therapeutic workspace. An existing single robot arm is adapted to optimize its operating area to allow full movement in this desired workspace. The kinematic data is also used to look at the constraints involved in attaching two robot arms to the user's forearm and upper arm. An optimized design and configuration of the dual robot arms is proposed that allows appropriate control of the patient's arm throughout the desired workspace.