A passive robotic device for VR-augmented upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients

We present a feasibility study for the combined use of a passive robotic device, virtual reality and high resolution encephalography (HR-EEG) in the upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients'. Five virtual environments (VEs) simulating activities of daily living or abstract visuo-motor coordination tasks were developed. They require a series of short, comparable limb movements in two- or three-dimensional space. HR-EEG and kinematic data from the robotic device were recorded synchronously, allowing to epoch EEG signals on the basis of the movement onset and therefore to monitor activation of cortical motor areas during task execution. The analysis of the kinematic parameters confirmed theoretical assumptions, and the movement-related cortical maps showed the expected spatial activation pattern.