Article

We have developed a haptic-based approach for retraining of interjoint
coordination following stroke called time-independent functional training (TIFT)
and implemented this mode in the ARMin III robotic exoskeleton. The ARMin III
robot was developed by Drs. Robert Riener and Tobias Nef at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology Zurich (Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zurich, or
ETH Zurich), in Zurich, Switzerland. In the TIFT mode, the robot maintains arm
movements within the proper kinematic trajectory via haptic walls at each joint.
These arm movements focus training of interjoint coordination with highly
intuitive real-time feedback of performance; arm movements advance within the
trajectory only if their movement coordination is correct. In initial testing, 37
nondisabled subjects received a single session of learning of a complex pattern.
Subjects were randomized to TIFT or visual demonstration or moved along with the
robot as it moved though the pattern (time-dependent [TD] training). We examined
visual demonstration to separate the effects of action observation on motor
learning from the effects of the two haptic guidance methods. During these
training trials, TIFT subjects reduced error and interaction forces between the
robot and arm, while TD subject performance did not change. All groups showed
significant learning of the trajectory during unassisted recall trials, but we
observed no difference in learning between groups, possibly because this learning
task is dominated by vision. Further testing in stroke populations is warranted.

Langue : ANGLAIS