The use of the upper limb plays an important role in daily life. However, its function is impaired by various diseases and conditions, which motivates us to perform research aiming for a better rehabilitation approach to improve the upper limb function. Among various therapies developed to improve upper-limb motor functions, we have been introducing the latest therapies from worldwide, and creating a system to select the most appropriate therapy based on objective movement analysis.
We have been working on various research topics as follows: classification of upper limb movements in daily life, quantification of upper limb movements by three-dimensional motion analysis, quantification of the amount of activity of the upper limb, effects of peripheral magnetic stimulation on hemiparalysis, development of a gamified exercise system controlled by the muscle activity patterns decoded from severely paralyzed limb, quantifying upper limb movements by using a robot (Kinarm Exoskeleton Labs™), effects of rehabilitation robots designed to train upper-limb movements such as InMotionARM™, ReoGo®-J, CoCoroe AR², and Trymotion AMADEO®, and quantitative evaluation of upper limb spasticity.
Visualization and analysis of upper limb movements using KinemaTracer®
KinemaTracer® is a three-dimensional motion analysis device (jointly developed by Kissei Comtec Co., Ltd. Nagano, Japan.)
Electromyography-controlled gamified exercise system for patients with severe upper-limb paralysis(co-developed with Speed Corporation and SMK Corporation)
We have been developing a system that analyzes the muscle activities emitted from the forearm to read the intent of the movement, which allows patients to perform training for the upper limb based on the muscle activities (this work is supported by a grant based on the Funding program on assistive products for the autonomy and independence of persons with disabilities from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare; co-developed with Speed Corporation and SMK Corporation).
Rehabilitation robots for upper limb training (upper left: ReoGo®-J, upper right: InMotionARM™, lower left: Tyromotion AMADEO®, lower right: CoCoroe AR²)
