Robo Rehab
Researchers have been using computer-controlled robots for physical rehabilitation since the early 1990s, but so far the technology has been too expensive to use on a large scale. Marcia O’Malley, director of Rice’s Mechatronics and Haptic Interfaces Laboratory (MAHI) and assistant professor in mechanical engineering and materials science, thinks this will change within the next few years. One day, going to physical rehab may mean putting yourself into robotic hands.
There’s good reason for the development. “It can take months of physical therapy for stroke patients to regain the use of their limbs,” said O’Malley. “We hope to develop a system that helps patients recover faster and allows therapists to more precisely monitor patients’ recovery.”
Last fall, O’Malley teamed with doctors from Memorial Hermann|Texas Institute for Research and Rehabilitation and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to begin a two-year study of a prototype rehabilitation system developed at MAHI that uses a joystick to help patients with hand–eye coordination.
The study involved 16 patients. In one exercise, the patients use the joystick to move an object from one part of the computer screen to another. Like all the systems in O’Malley’s lab, the rehab program uses force-feedback technology called “haptics” that allow people to “feel” their environment while they are in virtual reality.
The term “haptic” refers to the perception of touch, and in the prototype rehab system, the joystick is outfitted with motors that push the stick to resist moves in the wrong direction. As a result, the patient’s hands are guided along the right path. By repeating the exercise over and over, patients gradually can learn to control the objects on the screen in a smooth, precise way.
“We’re interested in measuring how smooth the movements are, compared to what might be optimal,” said O’Malley. “The computer can precisely measure how a patient responds to every single exercise. This lets the doctors and physical therapists know exactly what their patient most needs to work on. This precise, measurable feedback provides a great advantage over the subjective evaluations currently in use.”
O’Malley said patients’ enthusiasm for the technology is one reason it’s likely to catch on.
“The patients who get a chance to try this tend to get very excited,” said O’Malley, who previously worked with doctors and patients from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I’ve been inspired to see how hard patients are willing to work to regain their mobility, and our technology really plays to that strength. The machine never gets tired. It allows them to work as long and as hard as they want.”