Sara Contu
Papers
16
Total Citations
314
H-Index
8
About
Sara Contu is a researcher whose work sits at the intersection of rehabilitation robotics, neuroscience, and sensorimotor function, with a particular focus on proprioception and upper limb recovery following stroke. Her research has made significant strides in developing and validating robotic tools for the quantitative assessment of proprioceptive deficits — a notoriously difficult domain to measure clinically. Her landmark 2015 paper on robot-aided wrist proprioception assessment has accumulated 118 citations, establishing her as a leading voice in the field. Contu has consistently demonstrated that robotic devices can surpass conventional ordinal clinical scales in sensitivity and precision, offering richer data on joint position sense and sensorimotor impairment. Her highly cited 2021 randomized controlled trial (58 citations) examined how robotic-assisted therapy can reduce therapist workforce demands while improving post-stroke upper limb outcomes — a contribution with real-world clinical and policy implications. She has also explored the neuroscience of bimanual coordination and the interplay of visual and haptic feedback during complex motor tasks. Across her portfolio, Contu's work bridges fundamental neuroscience with practical rehabilitation engineering, offering researchers, clinicians, and students a rigorous framework for understanding and treating motor deficits after neurological injury.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Robot-Aided Assessment of Wrist Proprioception118 citations · 2015
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- 4Evaluation of wrist joint proprioception by means of a robotic device16 citations · 2014
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- 6Actuation for robot-aided rehabilitation: Design and control strategies11 citations · 2018
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