Imagine you suffered an injury and need medical assistance to regain strength and function. It is quite likely that this means seeing a physiotherapist who will give you a number of exercises to do at home. In order to get the best results and not risk further injury, you need to do the exercises correctly and apply the right amount of force, which is not always easy without the help of a physiotherapist.
This is a challenge that researchers at Chalmers have taken on by creating a new research field in patient-centered adaptive robotic support for rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
The main goal of the research is to offer healthcare providers customisable equipment and systems to help patients perform their own exercises correctly and at the same time, through increased and objective information, give healthcare providers the opportunity to continuously monitor the patient's development remotely.
Petter Falkman, Professor of Automation and his research group at the Department of Electrical Engineering, identifies several challenges with today's way of rehabilitation.
“Firstly, there is a risk of the patient under- or over-performing their exercises. Secondly, there is currently no way for physiotherapists to continuously receive information and provide feedback to the patient. Through an increased exchange of information, not only can physiotherapy be improved, but perhaps the patient's motivation can also be increased. All to achieve the best possible results for the patient without the need for increased resources from the healthcare system. “
The research team aims to develop intelligent robotic systems to support rehabilitation and physiotherapy. For example, an exoskeleton with multimodal sensors that the patient wears over the injured body part and then performs the exercises. The exoskeleton can be connected to the patient's phone and, with the help of sensors, it collects exercise data that can be shared with the healthcare provider. The data sent to the doctor or physiotherapist can be used to analyse and improve the patient's rehabilitation.
A collaboration that the research group has come the furthest with is with the Department for Clinical Studies, Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation at Sahlgrenska Academy, where they are currently developing sensors that are attached to the palm of the hand. The sensors are connected to a screen so the patient can see if they are performing the exercises correctly and using enough pressure.
“We want to give the patient the right tools and information for rehabilitation at home, while helping physiotherapists to improve the patient's rehabilitation outcome, “ says Emmanuel Dean, Associate Professor in automation at the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Rehabilitation solutions need to be modular, customisable, reusable and easy to use for both the patient and the physiotherapist.
The current research initiative, called AURORA, aims to bring together a multidisciplinary research team with partners from Chalmers, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sahlgrenska Academy and other Swedish universities, as well as actors from the private sector.
“Apart from our collaboration with the Department of Clinical Studies, Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation at the Sahlgrenska Academy, we are also collaborating with CHAIR where we are building a team together with the Department of Computer and Information Technology to attract more researchers and collaborations to the project. “
- Computer vision
- Microwave diagnostics and treatment
- Bone conduction
- Bionics and pain
- Health informatics
For more information, contact:
- Senior Researcher, Systems and Control, Electrical Engineering
- Full Professor, Systems and Control, Electrical Engineering