Virtual rehabilitation robot (VRR)

Abstract

Robotic rehabilitation is a promising approach to rehabilitation of post stroke impairments. For that reason, a robotic arm is used for the upper-limb rehabilitation of stroke patients. This project is to study, analyze, design and implement a wirelessly controlled manipulator with three degrees of freedom. The manipulator has the possibility to operate in different planes. It allows patients to perform rehabilitation exercises while playing video games. These games are designed based on the rehabilitation protocol taking into account the patient's age, strength, mental condition and the affected regions of the brain. The device is built and tested with a stroke patient under direct supervision of a physiotherapy specialist. The preliminary results demonstrate the importance of the added features such as the inclined plane that is found to correspond to movements needed for daily activities.