Electrical stimulation and rehabilitation robotics at University of Southampton
Electrical stimulation and rehabilitation robotics is an important area when it comes to upper limb neurorehabilitation. That is why our Rehabilitation and Health Technologies researchers here at the University of Southampton are making every effort to remain at the forefront of this fast-developing area.
As experts in developing electrical stimulation and rehabilitation robotics that will make a genuine and lasting difference to the quality of life experienced by service users with neurological conditions, we aim to achieve the following three things:
To understand the mechanisms underlying impairment and recovery of arm and hand function; develop and evaluate novel rehabilitation technologies for improving arm and hand function and translate them into clinical practice; and to incorporate the views and experiences of patients, caregivers and health professionals into our research to ensure the technologies we develop are useful and acceptable.
A good example of an electrical stimulation and rehabilitation robotics project here at Southampton is the study: ”˜Restoration of Reach and Grasp in Stroke Patients using Electrical Stimulation modulated by Iterative Learning Control'.
This project is the latest in a series of EPSRC funded research into finding effective ways to use Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in combination with rehabilitation robotics to improve recovery of arm and hand function following stroke.
Advanced control algorithms have been designed to optimise stimulation output and encourage patients to use their own recovering ability to move. This latest electrical stimulation and rehabilitation robotics research will take the therapy out of the hospital and into patients' homes.
In addition, we have extended this electrical stimulation and rehabilitation robotics research to address the needs of service users with multiple sclerosis through the study: ”˜Using functional electrical stimulation mediated by iterative learning control and robotics to improve arm movement for people with Multiple Sclerosis'.
About the Author
Find out more about our Rehabilitation Robotics research at www.southampton.ac.uk/rht
Submitted on: 2014-09-28 12:49:13