Research Projects

RehabNET: Neuroscience Based Interactive Systems for Motor Rehabilitation

Start date: 
01-04-2014
Budget: 
100 000 Euros

Scope


RehabNet builds on several principles to develop the next generation of motor rehabilitation systems after stroke.

 

1)  Accessibility


Since 85% of stroke survivors will present a motor deficit, it is important to design a system that can be used by the widest range of patients, and in particular by those with worse prognostic. Our partnership with Myomo Inc. (Boston, USA) in this project allows us to take advantage of a unique wearable and portable robotic device that restores correct limb position with integrated EMG measurement capabilities (mpower1000). 



2)  Effectiveness

 

Our neurorehabilitation training paradigm takes into account concepts of occupational and physical therapy, motivational and engagement factors intrinsic to gaming, and robotics, and puts them at the service of a clear neuroscientific hypothesis on how to effectively mobilize brain plasticity for a functional recovery. In RehabNet we will develop in close collaboration with our clinical partner, the Hospital of Funchal (SESARAM), a combination of a VR training task with an automatically adjustable robotic assistance level.



3)  Multimodal data

 

In order to understand the plastic changes that the brain undergoes during the upper-limb rehabilitation process, we need to be able to synchronously collect data on the patient  behavior (his/her physical movements and their quality), analyze how behavior relates to  task performance (successful vs. failed motor actions), and assess which are the particular  brain activity patterns that relate behavior

with performance and successful functional recovery (EEG).

Team


Supported by

RehabNet is a highly interdisciplinary project that addresses several research areas including: A) clinical research; B) robotics, C) Human Computer Interaction (HCI); and D) neurofeedback and neuroscience.

The RehabNet collaborators are the Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute (PT), the Madeiran Public Health System - SESARAM (PT), Myomo Inc. (USA) and the Quality of Life Technologies Center of Carnegi Mellon University (USA).

 

Project ID: 303891
Funded under: FP7-PEOPLE

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