Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Soft Exoskeleton for Pediatric Rehabilitation

Abstract

Exoskeletons have the potential to improve outcomes for rehabilitation clients. For these devices to be effective, rehabilitation professionals and end users must be involved throughout the design process, so the devices meet the broad needs of users. In this article, we present a model to guide the design of rehabilitation devices. This model is user-centered and focuses on users’ functional, expressive, aesthetic, and accessibility needs (FEA2) for devices. We then summarize the results of the first studies evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of the Playskin Lift™ soft exoskeleton for pediatric populations utilized for intervention in the natural environment. The exoskeleton was feasible for daily use by families in the natural environment. For infants and toddlers with physical disabilities, the exoskeleton assisted reaching and play performance within a single session when it was worn and improved independent reaching function and play activity after months of daily intervention with the exoskeleton.