[Tyler]

Robotic Therapy for Cerebral Palsy at MIT
     

     
An MIT news
release describes the latest MIT developments in robotic therapy for
cerebral palsy. According to the release, "The [US] Department of
Veterans Affairs has just completed a large-scale, randomized,
multi-site clinical study with these devices." The basic idea is to
fit the patient with an exoskeleton-like robotic device, which assists
them in learning how to make specific motions, such as grasping objects
or walking. Correct movements are assisted and incorrect movements are
ignored or corrected by system. Repetitively making the correction
motions helps the brain rebuild neural pathways needed to make the same
motion autonomously. The researchers believe robotic therapy
can also assist victims of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and
spinal cord injury. The video above provides an overview of the
research. For more information visit MIT's verbosely named Eric P. and Evelyn E. Newman
Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation.
   

http://robots.net/article/2838.html