A longstanding problem with stroke patients left with restricted functioning of their hands is that many miss their physical therapy appointments, slowing their already incremental recovery pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Habib Rahman, Richard and Joanne Grigg Professor and mechanical engineering chair, is working on a platform that dramatically reimagines how physical therapy is delivered, improving convenience and results for patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rahman, whose lab has been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm, the iTbot, is now taking the research to the next level by putting the assistive arm at the center of a system that therapists can use to assess and treat patients when they are not in the same location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the platform that Rahman is building, patients\u2019 physical abilities are evaluated on their home-based robotic arm, providing all the information that clinic-based equipment can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their performance data is streamed in real-time and appears on the physical therapist\u2019s computer screen. But it\u2019s more than just a dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are essentially creating a digital twin of the patient\u2019s evaluation \u2013 a virtual model of the physical robotic arm as the patient uses it appears on the therapist\u2019s screen,\u201d Rahman said. \u201cAll the data the robotic arm collects in the real environment you can see on the digital twin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n