Rehabilitation Technology Research
UTARI’s work in this research area is centered on evidence-based strategies and developments for the prevention of chronic ailments and injuries.
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Rehab Glove
The REHAB Glove is a portable, feedback controlled, and programmable robotic exoskeleton designed to restore and enhance hand function for individuals with neurological or musculoskeletal impairments. Unlike conventional rigid exoskeletons, it combines human hand kinematics and dynamics with adaptive assistance, enabling natural, safe, and effective motion. The glove supports multiple therapy modes: assistive rehabilitation, mirror therapy, and VR-based gamified exercises
Neurological Conditions like cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s, motor cortex damage or sclerosis can cause loss of hand function or weakness in limbs. This project brings an innovative solution by combining a robotic glove that assists with hand motion and measures data with immersive VR game environments which require real-time virtual hand control.
Key Features
Assistive Rehabilitation
- Actuators and links/joints are modeled on the natural kinematics and dynamics of the human hand, ensuring movements match real joint paths and force requirements.
- soft-and-rigid hybrid actuator minimizes strain, prevents unnatural motion and adapts to different hand sizes.
- Unlike bulky and rigid frames that can restrict motion, the REHAB glove is lightweight, wearable, and flexible, allowing greater mobility and patient comfort.
- Supports continuous passive, active assistive, and active resistive motion modes to accommodate varying recovery stages.
Mirror Therapy
- Reinforces brain-muscle pathways by linking visual feedback to physical movement.
- Helps retrain motor control and coordination in the affected hand.
- Minimal delay between the healthy and impaired hand’s movement for natural interaction.
- A sensor glove on the healthy hand captures movements, which are then mirrored by the rehabilitation glove on the impaired hand.
VR Gaming Therapy
- Motion data from the glove is translated into virtual hand movements in interactive environments.
- Patients engage in goal-oriented tasks and challenges, making therapy enjoyable and consistent.
- Games adapt to patient skill level and range of motion, promoting gradual improvement.
- In-game performance metrics align with real-world hand function improvements.
Collaborative Effort
- Partnered with UNT-Health Science Center and Cooks Children’s Hospital
- Sponsored by the Texas Medical Research Collaborative and National Science Foundation
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Upper Extremity Exoskeletons
The Upper Extremity Exoskeleton contain robotic modules for hand, wrist, and elbow to provide movement assistance in both rehabilitation and work environments. Designed for rehabilitation, adaptability, and safety, these modules can be worn individually or together to support mobility, reduce strain, and prevent injury.
In industrial and clinical settings, repetitive upper-limb movements contribute to fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders, and reduced performance. The Upper Extremity Exoskeleton pneumatically actuates to target these issues by combining advanced actuation, adaptive control, and task-specific functionality to assist recovery, reduce strain, and enhance endurance across rehabilitation and occupational applications.
Key Points
- Targeted Joints: Designed for coordinated assistance to hand, wrist, and elbow joints.
- Actuation Method: Uses pneumatically actuated soft actuators for safe and adaptive motion.
- Applications: Supports rehabilitation therapy, task-oriented exercises and industrial injury prevention.
- Proportional derivative based feedback control: PD-based feedback control ensures precise motion tracking and adaptive assistance levels.
- Industrial Impact: Reduces risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in repetitive and load-bearing tasks.
- Comfort & Wearability: Lightweight, flexible materials (silicone, neoprene) for prolonged use and ease of donning.
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Adaptive Exergame Equipment
The adaptive exergame machine combines exercise with interactive gameplay. UTARI is part of an initiative to remove the barriers for people with physical disabilities in exercise and physical activities. The goal of this project is to create accessible and engaging equipment and games to promote physical activities among people with disabilities, improving their overall health; Collect exercise data for users with different abilities to create personalized exercise that adapts to the user. Despite growing interest, many barriers such as high costs, limited accessibility, and lack of user-friendly designs restrict participation.
Key Features
- Accessibility-focused design: engineered for users with a wide range of physical abilities to reduce barriers to exercise.
- Gamified exercise experience: integrates video game elements to keep users engaged and motivated during workouts.
- Activity monitoring: tracks user performance and progress to provide feedback and support personalized exercise routines.
- Adaptive and customizable: allows adjustments to difficulty, intensity, and movement patterns to suit individual abilities and goals.
Collaborative Effort
- UTA Kinesiology
- Art & Art History
- Movin’ Mavs
