Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke Assisted With a Hybrid Electrical Stimulation (ES)-Robot System

Biomechatronic System Using Voluntary Motor Effort (VME)-Driven Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) for Upper Limb Rehabilitation

The purpose of this study is to investigate the combined training effectiveness of mechanical robot and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on upper limb rehabilitation after stroke.

Inclusion Criteria:

The recruited subjects will

• have unilateral ischemic brain injury or intracerebral hemorrhage at least 6 months after the onset of single stroke
• have moderate level of motor impairment in the affected upper limb, assessed by Fugl-Meyer Assessment (9<shoulder/elbow<27; 6<wrist/hand<18)
• have enough cognition to be able to follow the training protocol as assessed by Mini-metal State Examination (MMSE>21)
• have detectable EMG signals (3 times of the standard deviation above the baseline) from the upper limb muscles.