Robotic Arm Aids in Grasping After Stroke

Roland Piquepaille writes "In the U.S., stroke is a major cause of long-term disability which affects 700,000 people annually. Most of them are over 65 years old and some have difficulties grasping objects after their stroke. This is why Californian researchers have developed a robotic therapy which helps restore hand use after stroke. The Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (HoWARD) has successfully been tested on seven women and six men who had suffered a stroke at least three months before the study. These results, while encouraging, need to be balanced. There must be enough residual motor power in the arm and hand of stroke patients to initiate some movement for this robotic therapy to work."

Would you trust this thing

[EmbeddedJanitor]

to do the five knuckle shuffle?

Seriously

[EmbeddedJanitor]

Perhaps parent looks like a grope for a funny, but it is not.

Sure, general independence is a big issue. However, even if stroke victims have help with many functions such as cooking, dressing, eating etc, being able to do certain things (eg. handle your own genitalia -- sexually or otherwise) at least gives you some sense of self.

A famous personality's contribution

[A beautiful mind]

The Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (HoWARD)

It has been named after John Howard, he has trouble grasping certain subjects aswell, like Kyoto or copyright legislation.

[FOOT ICON HERE]

Re:

[TapeCutter]

Are you suggesting he suffers from err..ummm..."short man's", syndome

Re:

[VoltageX]

Wait...all this time our prime minister has been a robot?!

Re:

[RealGrouchy]

The Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (HoWARD)

I hear that this version is better than its predecessor, Helpful Artificial Limb (HAL).

- RG>

Misread the title

[Karganeth]

I read the title as "Robotic Arm Fails in Grasping After Stroke".

Misread Your Post

[ThomS]

...as funny

inappropriate maybe...

[benzzene]

...but that headline made me giggle.

Pretty cool

[LiquidCoooled]

That looks like a good use for tech.
On a related note, what kind of disease is this [google.com] meant to cure?

Or is this the cause for the stroke in the first place?

Re:

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

On a related note, what kind of disease is this meant to cure?

Constipation.

Obligatory

[zaguar]

Cue the Masturbation jokes in 3...2...1...

Re:

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"Cue the Masturbation jokes in 3...2...1..."

Side effects include... blindness.

Re:

[sa1lnr]

"Side effects include... blindness."

Huh?

Ctrl++
Ctrl++
Ctrl++

Oh!

Re:

[Kazrael]

"Robotic arm GETS AIDS after stroke"

Re:

[TapeCutter]

I guess you didn't notice that your sig could be mistaken for a continuation of your post.

Re:

[Profane MuthaFucka]

Here's mine:

If you need a robot to help you stroke, you're doing it wrong. If a stroke is beyond your grasp, I am impressed. Alternative title - Robot Arm aids in grasping stroke after stroke.

uh, great...

[cosmocain]

...with the help of these you can grasp your BigMac with extra bacon even after it nearly killed you.

That's interesting

[ronanbear]

I was just a presentation of related research on Friday in Dublin, Ireland.

Quite interesting stuff. It should be a lot cheaper than existing methods where you have highly trained staff spending large amounts of time doing this work. Instead, you get a robot to do it for far less (and cut out trips to the hospital so patients can convalesce at home or in a nursing home).

They also allow precise measurement of the progress you're making. How much force, how accurate your motion, how steady your speed - everything can be recorded and optimised for even better therapies.

I was sitting there listening to everything being explained and thinking about how to do it with a Wiimote but these particular robots aren't passive. They actively move your arm at first because stroke victims don't have the strength. Maybe for milder strokes though.

Re:

[LoudMusic]

Quite interesting stuff. It should be a lot cheaper than existing methods where you have highly trained staff spending large amounts of time doing this work. Instead, you get a robot to do it for far less (and cut out trips to the hospital so patients can convalesce at home or in a nursing home).

They also allow precise measurement of the progress you're making. How much force, how accurate your motion, how steady your speed - everything can be recorded and optimised for even better therapies.

I wouldn't thin

Mechs vs. Meatbot

[smchris]

All well and good but I would rather we caught the aneurysm first -- and I feel like we are making great progress. I personally have an aunt, uncle and another significant old guy who are ambling around after intervention before they blew. The 89-year-old TWICE and I have to muse on how amazing that is every time I visit him. Maybe the luck of a competent medical center and a knack for complaining at just the right time?

Cheaper way

[Chris whatever]

There is a cheaper way it's called HEALTHY EATING.

THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF SPACE

[operagost]

Oh sure, you think robots are so safe you can let them assist stroke victims. Before you know it, they're pushing them down stairs! [google.com]

I for one...

[silentounce]

I, for one, welcome our stroking, grasping robotic over-ahhhhhhh...

/lights cigarette

rehab robotics

[trb]

This work is interesting but not unique, see:

http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/06/43/5/kre b s.html [va.gov]
http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/05/42/6/macc lellan.html [va.gov]
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5466213.html [freepatentsonline.com]