Use of Robotic Devices in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

This review addresses the use of robotic devices in the rehabilitation of poststroke and posttrauma patients as a rehabilitation technology which has developed rapidly over the last decade. The types of devices used are described – manipulators and exoskeletons – along with the clinical protocols for their use and the effectiveness of rehabilitation procedures. Particular attention is paid to the neurophysiological basis of the rehabilitation potential of this technology, including analysis of measures of plastic rearrangements of the brain. Results obtained from state-of-the-art rehabilitation technology using hand exoskeletons controlled by brain–computer interfaces based on kinesthetic motor imagery are considered.