Beth, 

Are you saying that if an injury didn't make volitional and cognitive
control of muscles impossible, that use of this device would be possible
at any point after injury?  I'll try to get the article and send it to
the list (cut and paste)

>Robot Arm Built for Stroke Sufferers 
>Device aims to help them regain ability to reach and grasp 
>Betterhumans Staff 
>4/27/2005 4:08 PM
 

>A robot arm is being developed to help stroke sufferers regain the
ability >to reach and grasp objects.

>Biomedical engineer Jiping He and colleagues from Arizona State
University >and Kinetic Muscles, Inc. are developing the arm to reduce
the cost of >stroke rehabilitation.

>"This device is intended to provide cost-effective therapy to a wider
>population for a longer period of time for maximum recovery of motor
>function," says He of the arm, dubbed RUPERT I for Robotic Upper
Extremity >Repetitive Therapy.

>Research suggests that stroke survivors can regain significant use of
their >arms through repetitive motor function exercises. This physical
therapy, >however, can be expensive. 

>RUPERT I is based on a model of the arm showing how much force is
needed >for normal movements. The model showed where to locate pneumatic
muscles >for proper therapy. Adjustable to accommodate different body
shapes and >sizes, the arm uses four pneumatic muscles and is movable at
the shoulder, >elbow and wrist. 

>A prototype has already been fitted and tested on eight able-bodied
people >and two stroke survivors. Participants ranged from five-foot
females to >six-foot males. 

>A second generation prototype called RUPERT II is now being developed
using >the results from the tests. 

>Research on the robotic arm will be reported this summer in Chicago at
the >9th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics.

Kendall Corbett

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Thiers [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 4:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Emailing: Betterhumans > Robot Arm Built for Stroke
Sufferers

Volition and cognition.  Movement is more than just in the muscles.  You
have to be able to process the information coming to your brain and come
up
with an appropriate response.  That's the simple answer anyways.
Ps. Wasn't able to get to the link, it's experiencing problems or is no
longer valid.

Beth t. the oT

-----Original Message-----
From: St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kendall David
Corbett
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 6:12 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Emailing: Betterhumans > Robot Arm Built for Stroke
Sufferers

Meir,

Thanks!  I wonder if there's a time period after a stroke when it
becomes
less effective.  Also, if it'd be effective for other types of brain
injury...I can't see why the type of injury should be critical.
Time since injury could be, because of lost plasticity of our brains.

Kendall Corbett

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress
depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

-----Original Message-----
From: Meir Weiss [mailto:[log in to unmask]]=20
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 3:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Emailing: Betterhumans > Robot Arm Built for Stroke Sufferers

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link
attachments:


Betterhumans > Robot Arm Built for Stroke Sufferers ... robot arm is
being
developed to help stroke sufferers regain the ability to reach and grasp
objects. Fiction Nonfiction ... says He of the arm, dubbed RUPERT I for
Robotic Upper Extremity Repetitive ...

www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=3D2005-04-27-1 Cached page

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