Haptic assistance in virtual environments for motor rehabilitation

Abstract

This paper presents the MIMICS MMS rehabilitation system with a virtual rehabilitation task that includes several modes of haptic assistance. We observed the influence of these different modes of assistance on task performance and work performed toward the target during the pick-and-place movement. Twenty-three hemiparetic subjects and a control group of twenty-three subjects participated in the study. The haptic assistance resulted in improved task performance and lower work performed during pick-and-place movement. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.