A SYSTEM FOR UPPER LIMB REHABILITATION AND MOTOR FUNCTION EVALUATION

In the conventional upper-limb rehabilitation process, patients have to be relying on therapists to do the exercise and assessments. Using robotic rehabilitation devices, patients can practice independently and intensively with their upper paretic limb. In this study, we hypothesized that a multi-DOF passive mechanism coupled with multi-DOF 3D sensory feedback could provide: (1) safe and nature active exercise; (2) various combinations of degrees of freedom (DOF) for the training of different specific joints; (3) the possibility to realize ideal trajectory. In order to test the hypothesis, we designed a seven-DOF passive exoskeleton-based system for the upper extremity, integrated with virtual reality (VR) technology based 3D feedback. An experiment was done on six healthy subjects and three subjects with upper-limb impairment. All subjects did not experience any problems when handling the device during the intervention. Moreover, Fugl-Meyer Score of the upper extremity Assessment (FMA) scale showed that the three patients have increased the score by 19, 23 and 14, respectively. Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) scale showed that the three patients have increased their scores by 22, 22 and 14, respectively.