Title: Early assessment of neuro-rehabilitation technology: a case study

Authors: Silvia Petroni, Stefano Mazzoleni, Stefania Bellelli, Sara Cannizzo, Ilaria Palla, Barbara Labella, Silvia Sterzi, Eugenio Guglielmelli, Giuseppe Turchetti

Addresses: Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Universita Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy. ' Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems (ARTS) Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Liberta, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Liberta 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Liberta 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Liberta 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy. ' Dipartimento Qualita e Accreditamento, Agenzia Nazionale per i Servizi Sanitari Regionali, via Puglie 23, 00187, Rome, Italy. ' Rehabilitation Department and Postgraduate School of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Universita Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy. ' Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Universita Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Liberta 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy

Abstract: A novel mechatronic platform for neuro-rehabilitation has been developed, that measures post-stroke functional recovery through whole-body isometric force measurements. An early assessment of the prototype is here presented by using a SWOT survey. The main aim of the analysis was to perform an |in-progress| assessment of the technology, for identifying its main strengths and limitations in order to successfully manage its introduction on the market. Even though some technical limitations emerged, an overall acceptance of the proposed approach was shown. The data collected gave useful information for bringing technical adjustments to the device and gave indications about its market potential.

Keywords: early assessment; neuro-rehabilitation; mechatronics; stroke recovery; whole-body isometric force measurements; post-stroke functional recovery; bioengineering; natural language; decision support; biomedical engineering; force-torque sensors.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBET.2010.034941

International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, 2010 Vol.4 No.3, pp.232 - 244

Published online: 31 Aug 2010 *

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