PFI-TT: A robotic device for the physical therapy of wrist/hand function

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to advance and commercialize a robotic medical device designed for the physical rehabilitation of impaired wrist/hand function. This technology addresses an unmet medical need for patients with stroke or spinal cord injury who frequently have impaired hand function that interferes with many activities of daily life such as feeding, but also negatively affects their professional work (e.g. inability to use a computer keyboard). It provides objective diagnostic markers on motor function that can guide therapy. In addition, the device promotes a patient-centered, customized physical therapy that allows tailoring physical exercises to the current state of the patient, and subsequently to adjust these exercises to the patient's therapeutic progress, potentially enabling patients to train longer and more rigorously. Extra practice will either lead to higher levels of functional independence or faster recovery within the reimbursable care time leading to reduced total health care costs per patient. At present, there is no mature competing technology on the market. A preliminary market analysis shows a high commercial potential in the market for medical rehabilitation devices. The proposed project takes the necessary steps to advance the commercialization of this robotic technology. Its aims respond directly to identified customer needs. Development addresses the following key technological hurdles: 1) Reduce the footprint of the device and make it mobile. The team will redesign the encasement and build a system that can be moved easily within and between care environments. 2) The team will simplify the user interface of the control software to enable easy access and operation for therapists without an extensive technical training. 3) Therapists and rehabilitation managers desire automated outcome reports to reduce the reimbursement documentation burden for therapists. The team will design software that records and analyzes the signals from the robotic sensors to generate objective markers of motor performance that can be included in a digital report of therapeutic progress. 4) Most of the rehabilitation exercises currently implemented in rehabilitation robots are largely monotonous, repetitive exercises that often lead to disengagement. In response, the team will design new gamified physical rehabilitation exercises based on the Unity programming language, which is the standard in the computer gaming industry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.