Trial started on disabled patients
Un wearable robotic device able to assist people with upper limb disabilities in carrying out daily life activities. It is the platform composed of exoskeletons and interfaces created, within the framework of the European AIDE project, by researchers from the Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems Unit Ucbm together with colleagues from the Universidad Miguel Hernandez of Elche (Spain) and the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa.
A system that has entered the validation phase inaugurated right in the Ucbm laboratories thanks to the contribution of 6 patients who have undergone the experimentation in recent months. In particular, the possibility of carrying out three different actions using the robotic aid was tested: drinking by reaching for a glass, bringing it to the mouth and returning it to its position; grab a bottle and pour its contents into a glass; move objects on a support base.
These tests, made possible by the contribution of theUnit of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the University Hospital, with the collaboration of INAIL prosthesis center in Vigorso di Budrio and Interregional Working Group of IT and Electronic Aid Centers for the Disabled, have made it possible to accumulate the first positive data on the functioning of the platform tailored to the specific needs of the individual user. The future prospects concern the possibility that this will be used by people with serious disabilities to regain a basis of autonomy in domestic activities.
