The development of robotic devices for rehabilitation is a fast-growing field. Nowadays, thanks to novel technologies that have improved robots’ capabilities and offered more cost-effective solutions, are increasingly being employed during clinical practice, with the goal boosting patients’ recovery. Robotic also widely used in context neurological disorders, where it often provided variety different fashions, depending on specific function be restored. Indeed, effect robot-aided...

Several neurodevelopmental disorders and brain injuries in children have been associated with proprioceptive dysfunction that will negatively affect their movement. Unfortunately, there is lack of reliable objective clinical examination protocols our current knowledge how proprioception evolves typically developing still sparse.Using a robotic exoskeleton, we investigated acuity the wrist group 49 healthy (8-15 years), 40 young adults. Without vision participants performed an ipsilateral...

Myoelectric signals offer significant insights in interpreting the motion intention and extent of effort involved performing a movement, with application prostheses, orthosis exoskeletons. Feature extraction plays vital role, follows two approaches: EMG synergy features. More recently, muscle based features are being increasingly explored, since it simplifies dimensionality control, considered to be more robust signal variations. Another important aspect myoelectrically controlled devices is...

Proprioceptive signals from peripheral mechanoreceptors form the basis for bodily perception and are known to be essential motor control. However we still have an incomplete understanding of how proprioception differs between joints, whether it among various degrees-of-freedom (DoFs) within a particular joint, such differences affect control learning. We here introduce robot-aided method objectively measure proprioceptive function: specifically, systematically mapped wrist acuity across...

Several neuromuscular disorders present muscle fatigue as a typical symptom. Therefore, reliable method of assessment may be crucial for understanding how specific disease features evolve over time and developing effective rehabilitation strategies. Unfortunately, despite its importance, standardized, objective measurement is lacking in clinical practice this work investigates practical solution. 40 healthy young adults performed haptic reaching task, while holding robotic manipulandum....

This work examines physiological mechanisms underlying the position sense of wrist, namely codification proprioceptive information related to pointing movements wrist towards kinesthetic targets. Twenty-four healthy subjects participated a robot-aided assessment their acuity investigate if sensorimotor transformation involved in matching targets located by receptors relies on amplitude or positional cues. A joint test was performed order explore such dichotomy. In this test, blindfolded...

Regarding our voluntary control of movement, if identification joint position, that is independent the starting condition, stronger than kinaesthetic movement reproduction, implies knowledge position and movement's length for accuracy, still a matter debate in motor theories neuroscience. In present study, we examined mechanisms individuals seem to prefer/adopt when they locate spatial positions code amplitude movements. We implemented matching task on wrist robotic device: this consists...

Neuromotor disorders negatively affect the sensorimotor system, limiting ability to perform daily activities autonomously. Rehabilitation of upper limb impairments is therefore essential improve independence and quality life. In last two decades, there has been a growing interest in robot-assisted rehabilitation as beneficial way promote children recovery process. However, common understanding best drivers an effective intervention not reached yet. With this aim, current study reviewed...

A deep investigation of proprioceptive processes is necessary to understand the relationship between sensory afferent inputs and motor outcomes. In this work, we investigate whether how perception wrist position influenced by direction along which movement occurs. Most previous studies have tested Joint Position Sense (JPS) through 1 degree freedom (DoF) movements, such as flexion/extension (FE) or radial/ulnar deviation (RUD). However, joint has 3-DoF many activities daily living produce...

The aim of this work is to present a novel robot-based method assess the sources lack functionality in patients with recent traumatic wrist injuries. Post-traumatic experience limited range motion as well strength and proprioceptive deficits. These dysfunctions are related different complications that usually follow injuries: pain, increased rigidity, movement fluency loss stability could arise differently, according severity, site kind lesion. Their quantitative evaluation be essential...

Proprioception is a crucial sensory modality involved in the control and regulation of coordinated movements motor learning. However, extent to which proprioceptive acuity influenced by local muscle fatigue obscured methodological differences fatiguing protocols. In this study, we used high resolution kinematic measurements provided robotic device, as well both frequency time domain analysis signals captured via surface electromyography (sEMG) examine effects on wrist 16 physically...

Spasticity is a serious problem that affects large percentage of patients affected by neurological disorders including stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, traumatic injury. Unfortunately, no reliable assessment method spasticity currently available. This critical missing tool for rational, assessment-based approach to rehabilitation with impairment. In this paper we propose robot-based method, focused on the wrist joint, could be readily integrated robot treatment protocols. The...

Proprioceptive information allows humans to perform smooth coordinated movements by constantly updating one's mind with knowledge of the position limbs in space. How this is combined other sensory modalities and centrally processed form conscious perceptions limb remains relatively unknown. What has proven even more elusive pinpointing contribution proprioception cortical activity related motion. This study addresses these gaps examining electrocortical dynamics while participants performed...

Abstract Background Several daily living activities require people to coordinate the motion and force produced by both arms, using their position sense of effort. However, date, interaction in bimanual tasks has not been extensively investigated. Methods We focused on where subjects were required: ( Experiment 1 ) move hands until reaching same – equal hand implied identical arm configurations joint space - under different loading conditions; 2 produce amount isometric pushing upward, with...

Proprioception combines information from cutaneous, joint, tendon, and muscle receptors for maintaining a reliable internal body image. However, it is still matter of debate, in both neurophysiology psychology, to what extent such image modified or distorted by changing haptic environment. In particular, worth investigating the contribution external forces on our perception joint configuration. The proprioceptive acuity fifteen young participants was tested with Joint Position Matching (JPM)...

Position sense, which belongs to the sensory stream called proprioception, is pivotal for proper movement execution. Its comprehensive understanding needed fill existing knowledge gaps in human physiology, motor control, neurorehabilitation, and prosthetics. Although numerous studies have focused on different aspects of proprioception humans, what has not been fully investigated so far are neural correlates proprioceptive acuity at joints. Here, we implemented a robot-based position sense...

In this work we propose a novel method based on sEMG signals, easy and fast to perform, administered with robotic device maximize repeatability objectivity. Muscle fatigue, which is frequently experienced by healthy subjects, can be highly debilitating symptom in case of neuromuscular disorders. Its assessment provides crucial information the progression disability itself, patient's muscular function efficacy eventual clinical intervention. Hence, robust objective protocol for fatigue...

Several studies support the hypothesis that robot assisted therapy for adult subjects with motor impairments resulting from neurological damages can be beneficial in promoting recovery process when conveyed conjunction to conventional rehabilitation. Robotic has been mainly applied and little is known about children or youth. This study presents results of a robot-assisted rehabilitation training protocol two young suffering hemiparesis. was distal portion affected upper limb, through fully...

In the last two decades robot training in neuro-motor rehabilitation was mainly focused on shoulder-elbow movements. Few examples of devices for coordinated movements wrist have been designed and clinically tested. Such are crucial recovering motor competence carrying out many ADLs (activities daily life). Moreover, most implemented therapeutic approaches therapy uses point-to-point reaching which tend to emphasize pathological tendency patients break down goal-directed into a number jerky...

Proprioception is essential for planning and controlling limb posture movement. In our recent work, we introduced a standardized robot-aided method measuring proprioceptive discrimination thresholds at the wrist to obtain reliable accurate measures of acuity. Weber's law defines as constant ratio between just noticeable difference reference or standard stimulus. Reporting fractions thus provides possibility comparing results with reports others collected worldwide. This work aims determine...

Despite being so similar from a biomechanical perspective, the left and right arms develop with different dexterity important functional differences. This asymmetry in motor performance, most commonly known as handedness, has been extensively investigated numerous research. However, whether such dominance exists proprioceptive system remains unclear. To this end, manual asymmetries sensitivity were examined fourteen neurologically healthy right-handed individuals, unimanual bimanual...

This study examined wrist proprioception in a cross-sectional sample of 44 children aged between 8-to 14-years and control group 10 neurologically physically healthy adults. Using 3-degrees freedom robotic device, participants performed an ipsilateral joint position matching task which target amplitude (40% or 80% functional range motion [fRoM]) degrees-of-freedom (Flexion/Extension [FE], Radial/Ulnar deviation [RUD], Pronation/Supination [PS]) were manipulated. Results indicated that...

Proprioceptive signals from cutaneous, joint, tendon and muscle receptors create the basis for bodily perception are known to be essential motor control. However, which mechanisms underlying proprioceptive variables that affect them is still a matter of debate. In particular, what worth investigate is, namely, codification information related pointing movements wrist towards kinesthetic targets. this work we asked 10 healthy adults perform with their robot-aided matching task, in starting...