Development ofa Systems Architecture forRobot-Aided Telerehabilitati on

Thispaperpresents apilot studycarried outin our Rehabilitation Institute to verifythefeasibility of implementation ofatelerehabilitation approach basedonthe useofrobotic devices forupperlimbtreatment. Itsapplication was tested onlyintheclinical environment. The systems architecture implemented consists ofthreerehabilitation stations anda supervision workstation, located indifferent laboratories, andinterconnected by meansofa standard Ethernet IInetwork. The systems architecture wastested during therehabilitation offourpatients after chronic stroke. Theperformance charts showedatypical increasing/decreasing trendoftheparameters measuredby therobotdevices, indicating a continuous improvement of the patient's performance throughout treatment similar tothatobtained in controlled laboratory conditions. The telerehabilitation approachshouldthusallowto optimize thetherapeutic intervention, despite thefact thatthepatient doesnotdirectly interact withthetherapist.

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