Brissago

Researchers are investigating the use of a robotic device called ReHandyBot to assist patients with upper limb impairments caused by neurological or traumatic injuries, such as stroke or brain injury. These impairments can reduce independence and quality of life. The study aims to evaluate the feasibility and cost of different levels of supervision supervised, minimally supervised, and unsupervised for robot-assisted therapy, seeking new models that increase therapy doses despite limited resources. The ReHandyBot device offers exercises targeting hand and forearm movements using virtual reality and haptic feedback. Therapy sessions are personalized based on patient needs and therapist guidance, with frequency and duration varying per individual. The study will integrate the device into routine rehabilitation care, beginning with supervised sessions and potentially moving patients to less supervised therapy depending on their ability. Data on therapy dose, device usage, and cost-effectiveness will be collected. Participants admitted to clinics or ambulatory care will be screened and, if eligible, will receive therapy alongside their usual care. They will use the device while seated and interact with a virtual environment through instrumented handles. Researchers will record clinical data, therapy dose, device use, and patient feedback on usability and experience. Costs, therapy intensity, device retention, and safety will be monitored over about five years, with patient questionnaires completed at the last session.

Researchers are studying the use of the ReHandyBot, a robotic device designed for hand rehabilitation after stroke. This study aims to explore if stroke inpatients can safely and effectively perform therapy with the ReHandyBot without supervision, first in a rehabilitation clinic and then at their home. The study also evaluates how usable the device is and measures how much additional therapy patients complete independently, aiming to improve hand function recovery with less burden on therapists and healthcare systems. The study has two main phases. First, participants undergo a familiarization phase in a rehabilitation clinic where therapists teach them how to use the ReHandyBot. During this phase, therapy sessions last about 45 minutes each, with five sessions per week, including three exercises per session. After this, if participants can train safely alone, they take the device home and continue unsupervised therapy for six weeks. Those unable to use the robot independently perform unsupervised exercises from a booklet both at the clinic and at home. Participants will be monitored throughout the study with various assessments, including measures of therapy dose such as minutes and repetitions during unsupervised home therapy. Researchers will track usability scores, adverse events, device issues, and changes in upper limb function using several clinical scales and robotic assessments. This includes monitoring satisfaction and motivation, with the total study lasting through the six weeks of home therapy after initial clinic familiarization.