Research

Whole-body isometric force/torque measurements for functional assessment in neuro-rehabilitation: platform design, development and verification

Stefano Mazzoleni¹ , Andras Toth² , Marko Munih³ , Jo Van Vaerenbergh⁴ , Giuseppe Cavallo⁵ , Silvestro Micera¹ , Paolo Dario¹ and Eugenio Guglielmelli⁵

¹  ARTS Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy

²  Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary

³  Laboratory of Robotics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

⁴  Laboratorium for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

⁵  Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics & EMC, Università Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy

author email corresponding author email

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2009, 6:38doi:10.1186/1743-0003-6-38

Published:	30 October 2009

Abstract

Background

One of the main scientific and technological challenges of rehabilitation bioengineering is the development of innovative methodologies, based on the use of appropriate technological devices, for an objective assessment of patients undergoing a rehabilitation treatment. Such tools should be as fast and cheap to use as clinical scales, which are currently the daily instruments most widely used in the routine clinical practice.

Methods

A human-centered approach was used in the design and development of a mechanical structure equipped with eight force/torque sensors that record quantitative data during the initiation of a predefined set of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) tasks, in isometric conditions.

Results

Preliminary results validated the appropriateness, acceptability and functionality of the proposed platform, that has become now a tool used for clinical research in three clinical centres.

Conclusion

This paper presented the design and development of an innovative platform for whole-body force and torque measurements on human subjects. The platform has been designed to perform accurate quantitative measurements in isometric conditions with the specific aim to address the needs for functional assessment tests of patients undergoing a rehabilitation treatment as a consequence of a stroke.

The versatility of the system also enlightens several other interesting possible areas of application for therapy in neurorehabilitation, for research in basic neuroscience, and more.