MnRI Seminar: Robotics in neurorehabilitation (UMN Kinesiology and Rehabnetics)
The application of robotic devices to improve health outcomes is viewed as one of the most promising avenues to advance to a new standard of health care. In neurorehabilitation with its focus of restoring sensory and motor function in the neurological populations, current clinical practice faces several challenges.
First, it lacks objective outcome measures with high sensitivity and reliability to assess and monitor disease progression and therapeutic success. Second, repeated and rigorous physical exercise is required for neurological patients to restore their functional independence, yet the current standard of care cannot deliver the amount of exercise needed given the cost structure of the health care system.
Rehabilitation robots can address these problems by facilitating minimally supervised intervention. Recent advances in robotic devices provide a range of opportunities from objective, sensitive and reliable outcome measures to highly advanced rehabilitation therapy with minimal supervision. This talk presents an overview on the use of robotic technology in neurorehabilitation.
Jürgen Konczak will provide a short overview on the market potential and the barriers for adapting such technologies in clinical settings.
Rachel Hawe will highlight the use of robotic assessments in individuals with stroke and children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. She will discuss how assessments can lead to interventions and how current technology can be translated into clinically applicable devices.
Naveen Elangovan will present the recent advances of robot-aided sensorimotor assessments. He will discuss the future of rehabilitation robots as an adjunct to traditional rehabilitation from the technology translation and commercialization perspective.
About the speakers
Juergen Konczak Ph.D. (Professor at the UMN's School of Kinesiology and Director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory) His team has been involved in clinical research and the commercialization of robotic rehabilitation technology for treating neurological conditions such as stroke that received funding through the NIH REACH and the NSF PFI programs.
Rachel Hawe DPT, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Director of the Neurorehabilitation Across the Lifespan (NeuRAL) Lab) She has a background in biomedical engineering, physical therapy, and clinical neuroscience. Her research is focused on using technology including robotics to improve our understanding of sensorimotor deficits in individuals with stroke and cerebral palsy, leading to more targeted interventions.
Naveen Elangovan Ph.D. (Research scientist at the University of Minnesota and a Co-founder of Rehabnetics Medical LLC) He is a trained physical therapist. His research interests include translating laboratory research to clinical practice in the field of neurological rehabilitation. He is specifically interested in employing novel rehabilitation methods to improve sensorimotor function in people with stroke and movement disorders.