A robotic arm to aid in upper-limb rehabilitation.
Each year in the United States, an estimated 2.6 million people present to emergency departments with hand or wrist injuries; a further 795,000 individuals will experience a stroke. Millions of others live with disabilities and impairments such as Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and Spinal Cord Injuries that affect mobility and fine motor control. Research shows a marked improvement in the physical mobility of those who pursue rehabilitative therapies; however, of the roughly 225,000 Physical Therapists and 127,000 Occupational Therapists today, there are less than 8,000 Certified Hand Therapists worldwide with the specialized experience and knowledge required for such rehabilitation. If even 0.5% of individuals wished to pursue treatment, the number would far exceed the number of Certified Hand Therapists available to provide care.
Our robotic arm system assists occupational therapists in delivering hand and upper-extremity rehabilitation by enabling patients to pursue intensive, time-consuming, and repetitive exercises during times where a certified hand therapist may otherwise be unavailable. This allows the therapist to work with more clients, helping to ease the burden of a lack of availability of on-site healthcare professionals.