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Robotic Arm Aids in Grasping After Stroke

Posted by Zonk on from the i've-seen-this-anime dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "In the U.S., stroke is a major cause of long-term disability which affects 700,000 people annually. Most of them are over 65 years old and some have difficulties grasping objects after their stroke. This is why Californian researchers have developed a robotic therapy which helps restore hand use after stroke. The Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (HoWARD) has successfully been tested on seven women and six men who had suffered a stroke at least three months before the study. These results, while encouraging, need to be balanced. There must be enough residual motor power in the arm and hand of stroke patients to initiate some movement for this robotic therapy to work."

32 comments

  1. A famous personality's contribution by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (HoWARD)
    It has been named after John Howard, he has trouble grasping certain subjects aswell, like Kyoto or copyright legislation.

    [FOOT ICON HERE]
    --
    It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
    Be yourself no matter what they say
    1. Re:A famous personality's contribution by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      Are you suggesting he suffers from err..ummm..."short man's", syndome

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    2. Re:A famous personality's contribution by VoltageX · · Score: 1

      Wait...all this time our prime minister has been a robot?!

      --
      "Anonymous could not immediately be reached for further comment." - International Business Times
    3. Re:A famous personality's contribution by RealGrouchy · · Score: 1

      The Hand-Wrist Assisting Robotic Device (HoWARD)

      I hear that this version is better than its predecessor, Helpful Artificial Limb (HAL).

      - RG>
      --
      Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
  2. Would you trust this thing by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1

    to do the five knuckle shuffle?

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  3. Misread the title by Karganeth · · Score: 2

    I read the title as "Robotic Arm Fails in Grasping After Stroke".

  4. inappropriate maybe... by benzzene · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but that headline made me giggle.

    1. Re:inappropriate maybe... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just wondered if it was really possible to catch robotic arm AIDS just from stroking it. Man, I'm going to have to buy some extra-large condoms.

  5. Seriously by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Perhaps parent looks like a grope for a funny, but it is not.

    Sure, general independence is a big issue. However, even if stroke victims have help with many functions such as cooking, dressing, eating etc, being able to do certain things (eg. handle your own genitalia -- sexually or otherwise) at least gives you some sense of self.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
    1. Re:Seriously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather fuck a nurse, or a pocket pussy, than a robot hand.

  6. Pretty cool by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 2, Funny

    That looks like a good use for tech.
    On a related note, what kind of disease is this meant to cure?

    Or is this the cause for the stroke in the first place?

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
    1. Re:Pretty cool by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 1, Funny

      On a related note, what kind of disease is this meant to cure?

      Constipation.

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  7. Obligatory by zaguar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cue the Masturbation jokes in 3...2...1...

    --
    "Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
    1. Re:Obligatory by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Cue the Masturbation jokes in 3...2...1..."

      Side effects include... blindness.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    2. Re:Obligatory by Kazrael · · Score: 1

      "Robotic arm GETS AIDS after stroke"

      --
      Development notes at http://devscribbles.blogspot.com
    3. Re:Obligatory by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      I guess you didn't notice that your sig could be mistaken for a continuation of your post.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    4. Re:Obligatory by sa1lnr · · Score: 1

      "Side effects include... blindness."

      Huh?

      Ctrl++
      Ctrl++
      Ctrl++

      Oh!

    5. Re:Obligatory by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 1

      Here's mine:

      If you need a robot to help you stroke, you're doing it wrong. If a stroke is beyond your grasp, I am impressed. Alternative title - Robot Arm aids in grasping stroke after stroke.

      --
      Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  8. Obligatory Jokes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmm, let's see...

    In Soviet Russia, stroke-sufferers grab YOU!-- Nah, doesn't really work...

    I, for one, welcome our new stroke-afflicted, tight-gripped overlords.-- No, that doesn't make any sense...

    IN NORTH KOREA, only old people can grasp after strokes!-- Still kind of dumb...

    The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

    There we go, that's the one, that's it right there.

  9. uh, great... by cosmocain · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...with the help of these you can grasp your BigMac with extra bacon even after it nearly killed you.

  10. That's interesting by ronanbear · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was just a presentation of related research on Friday in Dublin, Ireland.

    Quite interesting stuff. It should be a lot cheaper than existing methods where you have highly trained staff spending large amounts of time doing this work. Instead, you get a robot to do it for far less (and cut out trips to the hospital so patients can convalesce at home or in a nursing home).

    They also allow precise measurement of the progress you're making. How much force, how accurate your motion, how steady your speed - everything can be recorded and optimised for even better therapies.

    I was sitting there listening to everything being explained and thinking about how to do it with a Wiimote but these particular robots aren't passive. They actively move your arm at first because stroke victims don't have the strength. Maybe for milder strokes though.

    --
    the more they over-think the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the pipe
    1. Re:That's interesting by LoudMusic · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Quite interesting stuff. It should be a lot cheaper than existing methods where you have highly trained staff spending large amounts of time doing this work. Instead, you get a robot to do it for far less (and cut out trips to the hospital so patients can convalesce at home or in a nursing home).

      They also allow precise measurement of the progress you're making. How much force, how accurate your motion, how steady your speed - everything can be recorded and optimised for even better therapies.

      I wouldn't think of it so much as a replacement for therapists as really a tool for therapists to do their jobs even better. Even more important than the mechanical restoration of physical abilities is the rebuilding of a person's self worth. A pretty strong effect of strokes is depression - people think there is nothing they can contribute any longer and they are purely a drain on their loved ones. Therapists are trained to repair the physical damage, but most importantly the emotional and psychological. If the stroke victim emotionally doesn't want to physically get better, these new technologies are just wasted on them.

      Yes, I am married to an occupational therapist and daughter of a stroke survivor ... ;)

      --
      No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
  11. Misread Your Post by ThomS · · Score: 1

    ...as funny

  12. Mechs vs. Meatbot by smchris · · Score: 2, Interesting

    All well and good but I would rather we caught the aneurysm first -- and I feel like we are making great progress. I personally have an aunt, uncle and another significant old guy who are ambling around after intervention before they blew. The 89-year-old TWICE and I have to muse on how amazing that is every time I visit him. Maybe the luck of a competent medical center and a knack for complaining at just the right time?

  13. Cheaper way by Chris+whatever · · Score: 1

    There is a cheaper way it's called HEALTHY EATING.

  14. They've got it the wrong way around! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Surely you'd want to be grasping before you have your stroke.

  15. THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF SPACE by operagost · · Score: 1

    Oh sure, you think robots are so safe you can let them assist stroke victims. Before you know it, they're pushing them down stairs!

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  16. I for one... by silentounce · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our stroking, grasping robotic over-ahhhhhhh...

    /lights cigarette

    --
    There are many tongues to talk, and but few heads to think. -Victor Hugo
  17. rehab robotics by trb · · Score: 1
    This work is interesting but not unique, see:

    http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/06/43/5/kreb s.html
    http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/05/42/6/macc lellan.html
    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5466213.html