Tailor-made neuro rehabilitation robot for hemiplegic upper limbs after stroke

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K01544
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Nagoya Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: MORITA YOSHIFUMI 名古屋工業大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00241224)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 田邉 浩文 湘南医療大学, 保健医療学部リハビリテーション学科作業療法学専攻, 教授 (00769747) ; 佐藤 徳孝 名古屋工業大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (60574374)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ロボット / ニューロリハビリテーション / 脳卒中 / トレーニング / 運動機能回復 / 分離運動 / 促通

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We developed a tailor-made neuro rehabilitation robot NR-Robo for recovery of upper limb motor function in hemiplegic stroke patients during the maintenance phase. In NR-Robo, we implemented three facilitation functions to promote normal muscle contraction during training. We applied NR-Robo to hemiplegic patients with severe, moderate and mild paralysis, and clarified the relationship between the degree of paralysis and the usefulness of facilitative function. As a result of measuring the physical condition during training for the adjustment parameters of the three facilitating functions, find a policy to determine the adjustment parameters of the facilitating function that maximizes the facilitating function according to the physical condition of hemiplegic person done. Furthermore, it was found that the two facilitating functions had an immediate effect on motor function recovery of finger extension.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学術的意義は，脳卒中片麻痺患者の上肢運動機能をロボットを用いて効果的に回復させる方法について，片麻痺患者のトレーニング中（自動運動時）の生体情報とロボットの促通機能との関係に着目して探求した結果，一定の知見を得たことにある．
社会的意義は，研究分担者（田邉）によって脳卒中片麻痺患者の60%を占める重度患者に対して，運動機能を回復させるための徒手療法が開発されており，その時間的，身体的負担の解消を目的に，徒手療法の一部をロボットに代替させるNR-Roboの開発の礎を築けたことにある．