FAU patents therapy aid

By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR

As her master’s project, Florida Atlantic University engineering student Melissa Morris created a robotic device to assist with the physical rehabilitation process of patients suffering from neurological damage to upper extremities due to stroke or Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Oren Masory, chairman of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and also Morris’ advisor, worked with her to design the apparatus.

Now, FAU has filed a provisional patent on the equipment. That, said Cheryl Halle, spokeswoman for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, “will protect it for a year.”  After that, research will continue until FAU can file for a final patent.

The apparatus created by Masory and Morris is designed to aid physical therapists and patients to retrain injured muscles.

Halle said the invention is composed of moving parts, including motors, cables and spools, enclosed within an acrylic case with a handle [joystick] that is indirectly connected to the system through magnetic attraction. 

Uses Barrier

“This device,” she said, “is the first-known cable driven robot to utilize a barrier between the operator and the moving mechanisms of the system. The system does not contain any rigid parts that could suddenly harm or injure the user, and the device can be used in a physical therapy office or at home without supervision.”

In addition, the system has a safety button embedded in the handle and if released during operation, a signal is sent to the controller that the patient has lost contact with the handle and the system immediately shuts down.

“Right now, physical therapists have no way of collecting empirical data that can measure the path, force or progress of any patient,” said Morris. “This device can help alleviate that problem.” 

The device is designed to operate in various modes, which guide the patient through a series of routine exercises. One mode enables the patient to begin his or her training by following a preprogrammed path, which corresponds, to “repetitions” done in traditional physical therapy. 

Another mode assists the patient as he or she attempts to follow the path, and the robot corrects them if they move outside the path, much the same way a therapist would do by providing gentle resistance.

The apparatus also offers varying resistance at all points within the platform to simulate contact with objects and increase muscle strength.

Significant Advantage

An additional mode, said Halle, offers a significant advantage over traditional physical therapy by providing absolutely no resistance to the patient, allowing movement anywhere within the platform for the purpose of diagnostic measurements.

The robot tracks the patient’s progress and records data such as position and speed. Halle said the data can later be analyzed by the physical therapist so adjustments can be made as needed to help the patient progress through treatment.

The device not only helps injured muscles, but does so at a less expensive rate than other types of therapies. “Unfortunately, rehabilitation is not covered by insurance programs for long periods of time,” said Masory.

“Because this device is much lower in cost and less intimidating than existing systems, therapists will be able to track and manage the progress of multiple patients remotely with fewer office visits. The reduction in costs will enable patients to receive longer sessions of therapy which are still covered by insurance.”

He said that as medical science progresses, more individuals survive previously catastrophic conditions which leave them with some type of physical impairment. This robotic device can help them through therapy.

The robot will use communication technologies such as phone lines to send and receive data from a therapist’s computer.

Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.