We investigate the use of robots and other interactive technologies to facilitate the recovery of motor abilities in persons with neuromotor disorders.
We designed and realized (2005, M.Casadio, P.Morasso, V.Sanguineti and V.Arrichiello) an impedance-controlled planar manipulandum, with two degrees of freedom. The device can generate assistive and resistive forces and enables haptic interaction with virtual worlds. The prototype evolved in a commercial device (PhysioAssistant, www.physioassistant.com), manufactured by Celin Srl, Follo (SP).
Recent results include:
- quantification of sensorimotor adaptation capacities in multiple sclerosis subjects with no clinical disability (M.Casadio, V.Sanguineti)
- robot exercise protocols aimed at the recovery of motor functions in chronic stroke survivors
- robot exercise protocols aimed at improving coordination in persons with multiple sclerosis
- using Kinect to improve bradykinesia in persons with Parkinson’s disease (S.Summa).
- a computational model of neuromotor recovery through robot training that helped identifying the recovery mechanisms and to predict the long-term prognosis of robot treatment.
The group has a solid international reputation in the field of robot rehabilitation and pioneered the use of robots with multiple sclerosis subjects.
In 2007 the group contributed to the foundation of the Motor Learning and Rehabilitation Lab at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), with which it still collaborates. In 2009-2011 the two labs jointly coordinated the EU-funded project Human Behavioral Modeling for enhancing learning by Optimizing hUman-Robot interaction, HUMOUR (FT7-ICT-231724).
