{"id":12071,"date":"2025-03-18T09:23:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T14:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=12071"},"modified":"2025-03-18T09:23:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T14:23:07","slug":"how-a-tabletop-robot-may-revolutionize-physical-therapy-delivery","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/how-a-tabletop-robot-may-revolutionize-physical-therapy-delivery\/","title":{"rendered":"How a tabletop robot may revolutionize physical therapy delivery"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Habib Rahman, professor and chair of mechanical engineering, and Inga Wang, professor of occupational therapy, science and technology, worked together to test the iTbot, a portable, assistive robotic arm that allows stroke patients to receive physical therapy without leaving their homes. The arm-based platform that Rahman is developing has advantages for both patients and therapists. (UWM Photo\/Troye Fox)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A longstanding problem with stroke patients left with restricted functioning of their hands is that many miss their physical therapy appointments, slowing their already incremental recovery pace.<\/p>\n

Habib Rahman, the Richard and Joanne Grigg Professor and mechanical engineering chair at UWM, is working on a platform that dramatically reimagines how physical therapy is delivered, improving convenience and results for patients.<\/p>\n

Rahman, whose lab has been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm, the iTbot, is now taking the research to the next level by putting the assistive arm at the center of a system that therapists can use to assess and treat patients when they are not in the same location.<\/p>\n

With the platform that Rahman is building, patients\u2019 physical abilities are evaluated on their home-based robotic arm, providing all the information that clinic-based equipment can offer.<\/p>\n

Their performance data is streamed in real time and appears on the physical therapist\u2019s computer screen. But it\u2019s more than just a dashboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are essentially creating a digital twin of the patient\u2019s evaluation \u2013 a virtual model of the physical robotic arm as the patient uses it appears on the therapist\u2019s screen,\u201d Rahman said. \u201cAll the data the robotic arm collects in the real environment you can see on the digital twin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Games make it work<\/h2>\n

Patients play computer- or tablet-based games designed with input from therapists. These games will push the home user to build muscle strength and a greater range of motion by moving the arm\u2019s handle with their impaired hand.<\/p>\n

[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sO5ygQ10pMU?si=JoAq6Qxd_ALkIqyQ&w=560&h=315]<\/p>\n

In one game, for example, the patient sees an array of closely spaced balls and uses the robotic arm to touch each one in succession. Once they can do that, the balls appearing on the screen are spaced out wider, so the reach is further.<\/p>\n

The games approach makes it more appealing for patients to complete their therapy. Patients often have trouble sticking with their exercises if they don\u2019t feel like they\u2019re progressing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are improving in clinical visits, but they may not perceive it,\u201d Rahman said. \u201cWhen they see their game scores go up, however, that gives them more satisfying proof. They can see that progress when they get to the next game level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benefits for the therapist too<\/h2>\n

Therapists, meanwhile, have complete control of the robotic arms, remotely calibrating or adjusting it in response to the patient\u2019s abilities, said Inga Wang, UWM professor of occupational therapy, science and technology, who partnered with Rahman to test the platform with patients.<\/p>\n

With VR\/AR goggles and an internet connection,\u00a0a remote therapist can even see actual interaction<\/a>\u00a0between the patient and their robotic arm in the patient\u2019s environment.<\/p>\n

In the traditional clinic setting, the robotic arm benefits the therapist as much as the patient by reducing their physical strain and automating repetitive exercises so that patients\u2019 time is spent more efficiently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis kind of technological innovation is needed,\u201d Wang said, \u201cbecause one-third of physical and occupational therapists themselves experience musculoskeletal injuries due to the physical demands of conventional therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n

A closer look at what is happening<\/h2>\n

When a person experiences a stroke, the nerve damage that occurs prevents the patient\u2019s muscles from receiving appropriate signals from the brain. The extent of debilitation varies. The purpose of rehabilitation therapy is to help the brain re-learn motor functions, Wang said.<\/p>\n

The iTbot assistive robotic arm offers three distinct therapy modules.<\/p>\n