Research and development of upper limbs neurorehabilitation robot

Abstract

Stroke is currently the second biggest disease in the world in number of deaths, totaling approximately 6 Million per year. According to the World Health Organization, each year approximately 15 Million people have stroke, about 9 Million of these survive. Each year in Brazil approximately 90 000 deaths are recorded from cerebrovascular related diseases. The SUS (National Health System) recorded in the year 2008 approximately 200 000 admissions for stroke, which resulted in a cost of approximately R$ 270 million for the government. Robotic devices, which are portable with low impedance and move in three-dimensional space ( 3D ) aimed at the neurological recovery of the upper limbs are not manufactured or marketed in Brazil and abroad. The rehabilitation robot being developed will help specialist doctors or physical therapists to initiate the treatment, the training and the assessment of therapeutic progress of patients in clinics, hospitals and homes. We propose for the phase 111 of this project (which will be developed simultaneously with phase II) to conduct research and development activities aimed at the obtaining the commercial version of this robot. The result will be a 3D robotic system with a reduced number of components, which are mechanically optimized, lightweight, compact and portable. The practical advantages of this system are significant and will produce a robot with superior mechanical performance. The activities of this project are multidisciplinary and will involve the areas of engineering, medicine, physical therapy, information technology and the design of 3D games for health. In addition, there is a quarterly follow up of the projects by consultants in the area of rehabilitation medicine, by medical doctors, as well as engineers, game designers, programmers and physical therapists to fit the programs being developed to the needs of the stroke patients. A preliminary cost analysis showed that with the help of research activities these robots could be marketed internationally with competitive prices and also have accessible prices for the rehabilitation clinics in Brazil. The Phase II research activities are conducted primarily to define the conceptual aspects related to system functionality. During phase III, the focus will be on analyzing and transforming the results of these studies obtained in phase II so as to manufacture a product commercially viable and competitive with a high product quality and reduced production costs. (AU)