SBIR Phase I: A robotic system for the physical therapy of the wrist and hand.

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is a novel robotic technology training aid enabling restoration of impaired wrist and hand function. Diseases of the nervous system including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and Parkinson's disease often result in sensory and motor deficits. Nearly 50% of patients that suffer from stroke, and 70-90% from Parkinson’s disease, suffer motor deficits associated with dysfunction in body awareness (proprioception), impairing daily living activity. The technology proposed aims to enable prolonged and greater intensity restorative training to improve function and enable more rapid recovery for 1.6-1.8 million US patients each year that suffer from upper limb motor deficits. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to complete a prototype for a robotic wrist-hand exoskeleton device that provides tailored physical rehabilitative exercises based on quantified measures of therapeutic progress. The technical milestones to be completed include 1) developing objective diagnostic markers on human motor function of the wrist and hand, 2) developing an adaptive robot-aided rehabilitation therapy program based on individual patient’s rehabilitation plans and goals and 3) developing a therapist-friendly user interface for clinical use. Upon completion, a minimum viable prototype will be completed enabling patient use in the rehabilitation setting. The system will enable conducting large sample clinical trials to evaluate clinical efficacy at a future stage This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.