Resonating Arm Exerciser: Affordable Active Assistance for Arm Rehabilitation

This project establishes the feasibility and potential for commercialization of an arm rehabilitation device, Resonating Arm Exerciser (RAE), appropriate for use by individuals with severe physical disabilities, which is safe to use, and provides a therapeutic benefit without the supervision of a rehabilitation therapist while remaining affordable. The RAE device temporarily converts a wheelchair into a rocking chair allowing the user to exercise the arm by pushing on a spring lever attached to the push rim of the wheelchair. Project objectives include: (1) developing a prototype of RAE that incorporates an intuitive, simple mechanical interface making exercise readily accessible, at a low cost, and suitable for at-home rehabilitation; (2) performing a usability study of the RAE prototype and refining the design based on user feedback; and (3) conducting a pilot study of at-home use of the device, comparing its performance to conventional at-home self-supervised therapy.