Robotic arm training in neurorehabilitation enhanced by augmented reality - a usability and feasibility study.
Alexandra Charlotte de Crignis, Salome-Thamar Ruhnau, Matthias Hösl and 5 others
PMID 37568195WHAT IT FOUND
A prototype robot arm plus HoloLens game was safe and usable in patients with upper limb weakness, but patients rated reliability lower than established arm robots.
Key findings
01No serious adverse events occurred, and none of the patients mentioned feeling unsafe.
02Patients using the prototype had a mean QUEST score of 3.9 ± 0.4, compared with 4.4 ± 0.4 in the reference group, and the difference was significant (p = 0.02).
03All except one patient perceived the virtual objects as three-dimensional and situated in space.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was a small pilot proof-of-concept study, so it cannot show whether the device improves arm function. Only the right arm was available, and only patients with good cognitive ability and communication were included. The study was not blinded, and sometimes the same person acted as therapist and assessor. System stability problems, HoloLens fitting issues, and limited field of view affected usability.
Declared interests
The paper names Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung as funder. No author conflicts of interest are stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the RobExReha robot improves arm function. It was a feasibility and usability study, and the authors state that no conclusions on efficacy can be made.