Kimberly Richards
Papers
6
Total Citations
151
H-Index
5
About
Kimberly Richards is a rehabilitation researcher whose work sits at the intersection of assistive robotics, stroke recovery, and healthcare access — particularly for underserved rural populations. Her research has focused on developing and evaluating innovative technologies to deliver effective stroke rehabilitation outside of traditional clinical settings, addressing one of the most persistent barriers facing stroke survivors: geographic isolation from care. Richards is perhaps best known for her pioneering work on the Robotic Stroke Therapy Delivery and Monitoring System (RTDMS), which explored how robotic devices could bring reproducible, high-quality rehabilitation directly into patients' homes. Her 2015 qualitative study on rural veteran experiences with this program has garnered 75 citations, reflecting its significance in both telerehabilitation and veteran healthcare literature. A follow-up study in 2016 further demonstrated the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of this approach, earning an additional 42 citations. Beyond remote delivery, Richards has advanced a particularly novel rehabilitation paradigm: tongue-controlled robotic therapy for individuals with severe upper limb impairment following stroke. By integrating the Tongue Drive System with hand exoskeleton technology, her work leverages neuroplasticity principles to engage alternative neural pathways when voluntary muscle control is limited — a creative and compassionate response to one of stroke rehabilitation's most difficult challenges.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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