Robotic Therapy and the Paradox of the Diminishing Number of Degrees of Freedom

Hermano Igo Krebs; Eiichi Saitoh; Neville Hogan

doi:10.1016/j.pmr.2015.06.003

Robotic Therapy and the Paradox of the Diminishing Number of Degrees of Freedom

Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2015 Nov;26(4):691-702. doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2015.06.003. Epub 2015 Aug 21.

Authors

Hermano Igo Krebs¹, Eiichi Saitoh², Neville Hogan³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, 620 W Lexington St, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine I, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan; Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: hikrebs@mit.edu.
² Department of Rehabilitation Medicine I, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Abstract

There has been remarkable growth in the development and application of robotics to ameliorate or remediate impairment. This growth is associated with a) the understanding that plasticity is a fundamental property of the adult human brain and might be harnessed to remap or create new neural pathways and b) that robots that can safely interact with humans and assist human performance. This article discusses whether robotic therapy has achieved a level of maturity to justify its broad adoption as a rehabilitative tool. How to improve outcomes further and how to select degrees of freedom to optimize care to particular patients is also discussed.

Keywords: Degrees of freedom; Functional-based therapy; Impairment-based therapy; Rehabilitation robotics; Robotic therapy; Stroke.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Neuronal Plasticity / physiology
Recovery of Function / physiology*
Robotics*
Stroke / physiopathology
Stroke Rehabilitation*
Upper Extremity*

Grants and funding

R01 HD069776/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States