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Article
Tactile Proprioceptive Input in Robotic Rehabilitation after Stroke
Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
  • Emmanouil Tzorakoleftherakis, Northwestern University
  • Maria C. Bengston, Marquette University
  • Ferdinando A. Mussa-Ivaldi, Northwestern University
  • Robert A. Scheidt, Marquette University
  • Todd D. Murphey, Northwestern University
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Language
eng
Format of Original
7 p.
Publication Date
5-1-2015
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Original Item ID
doi: 10.1109/ICRA.2015.7140109
Abstract

Stroke can lead to loss or impairment of somatosensory sensation (i.e. proprioception), that reduces functional control of limb movements. Here we examine the possibility of providing artificial feedback to make up for lost sensory information following stroke. However, it is not clear whether this kind of sensory substitution is even possible due to stroke-related loss of central processing pathways that subserve somatosensation. In this paper we address this issue in a small cohort of stroke survivors using a tracking task that emulates many activities of daily living. Artificial proprioceptive information was provided to the subjects in the form of vibrotactile cues. The goal was to assist participants in guiding their arm towards a moving target on the screen. Our experiment indicates reliable tracking accuracy under the effect of vibrotactile proprioceptive feedback, even in subjects with impaired natural proprioception. This result is promising and can create new directions in rehabilitation robotics with augmented somatosensory feedback.

Comments

Accepted version. Published as part of the proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA): 2015: 6475-6481. DOI. © 2015 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Used with permission.

Citation Information
Emmanouil Tzorakoleftherakis, Maria C. Bengston, Ferdinando A. Mussa-Ivaldi, Robert A. Scheidt, et al.. "Tactile Proprioceptive Input in Robotic Rehabilitation after Stroke" Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (2015)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_scheidt/71/