Cardio Robot

Rehabilitation technology has the potential to implement effective rehabilitation strategies to improve exercise capacity and facilitate motor recovery after stroke.

Factsheet

Situation

The aim of this project was to develop and evaluate novel rehabilitation robotics technologies and protocols for cardiopulmonary assessment and training after stroke.Feedback-controlled robotics-assisted treadmill technology was proposed to

Course of action

Feedback-controlled robotics-assisted treadmill technology was proposed to overcome motor limitations and facilitate task-specific training during stroke rehabilitation. Within a clinical trial, this project evaluated efficacy and feasibility of our novel concept for assessment of cardiovascular fitness and improvement of exercise capacity. Furthermore, a fast and easy-to-perform assessment for weight-bearing capacity on a single force platform was developed and evaluated.

Result

Feedback-controlled robotics-assisted treadmill exercise-based cardiopulmonary exercise testing demonstrated clinical feasibility, good to excellent test-retest reliability, and acceptable repeatability. The method provoked a substantial increase in exercise intensity and led to a significant improvement in cardiovascular fitness. Three dynamic repetitions of loading the hemiparetic leg are sufficient to assess weight-bearing capacity in non-ambulatory stroke survivors.

Looking ahead

The findings are an important step towards effective rehabilitation strategies early after stroke. Future research will focus on further development of appropriate algorithms within advanced robotic systems.