On the Use of Cable-Driven Robots in Early Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation

Cable-driven robots are a special class of manipulators in which the end effector is actuated by cables, rather than by actuators connected to rigid links. Their use in early inpatient stroke rehabilitation has been extensively investigated by the research group led by Prof. Aldo Rossi at University of Padua, Italy. Both cable suspended solutions (NeReBot, MariBot) and planar designs (Sophia-3) have been considered. Among them the NeReBot, a prototype underactuated cable suspended robot, has been clinically tested in early upper-limb rehabilitation of severely impaired stroke survivors. Results were encouraging, both with additional and with substitutive robotic treatment protocols, in comparison to standard stroke rehabilitation therapy. This paper presents the concept, results and benefits provided by the use of cable robot technology in stroke rehabilitation.