Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy

A Tabletop Robot May Revolutionize Physical Therapy Delivery

Mohammad Habibur (Habib) Rahman, Director of the BioRobotics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his team have been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm that therapists can use to assess and treat patients whether or not they are not in the same location.

2024 Product of the Year

Voting for Medical Design Briefs’ 30th Annual Readers’ Choice Product of the Year Awards is now closed.

AI + Computer Simulations = Enhanced Robotic Exoskeletons

Researchers have demonstrated a new method that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons to autonomously help users save energy while walking, running, and climbing stairs.

Noninvasive DBS Enhances Motor Learning

Researchers have implemented a novel technique called transcranial temporal interference electrical stimulation (tTIS) for noninvasive neuromodulation in humans to successfully target deep structures and enhance motor skill learning in healthy older subjects.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on a wearable, textile-based device that could compensate for deficiencies in visual and auditory inputs by tapping the sense of touch; one on a 3D-printed heart; one on the eradication of advanced-stage mesothelioma in mice; and more.

Software: Optimized, Personalized Treatments for Movement Impairments

A team of Rice University engineers has launched a first-of-its-kind, open-source software that constructs and uses personalized computer models of how individual...

AI Suit Could Improve Spinal Cord Injury Rehab

An intelligent suit could significantly improve rehabilitation after a serious spinal cord injury. The AI-supported solution combines electrical stimulation of muscles with support for movement...

Medical Design Briefs: 2022 Technology Leaders

Learn about the medical manufacturers and cutting-edge applications that stood out in 2022.

Inside the OEM: Stryker

Stryker is one of the world’s leading medtech companies.

2022 Medical Winner: The Novel Squid Glaucoma MicroShunt

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness, affecting 80 million patients globally, including 3 million patients in the U.S.

Pulsed MRI System Could Selectively Deliver Drugs to the Brain

Using an office-based human-sized version of this non-invasive device, it may prove possible to cure Alzheimer’s by delivering drugs and genes to specified tracts in the brain under real-time imaging guidance.

Optical Fiber Sensor Measures Deviations in Spine

The sensors have already been used to monitor the curvature of structures and robotic arms. But measuring both the magnitude and direction of the spine’s curvature presents an additional challenge.

Stable Electrodes for Long-Term BCI

The electrode can be worn comfortably and stable for up to four weeks, without the potential need for any medical personnel to intervene to maintain it.

Robot Sleeves Help Kids with Cerebral Palsy

The garments will contain sealed, airtight regions that can inflate, making them temporarily rigid and providing the force for movement.

Novel Radiation Therapy Delays Brain Cancer Regrowth

UC San Diego Health is the first hospital system in San Diego to offer a new, highly targeted, and precisely placed radiation therapy that delays tumor regrowth while protecting healthy tissue in patients with brain cancer.

Show Preview: MD&M Minneapolis 2022

Minnesota is home to Medical Alley and the area is poised to transform healthcare with its combination of institutions and talent in one region.

Powering an ‘Arm’ with Air Could Be Mighty Handy

Mechanical engineers have built a handy extra limb able to grasp objects and go, powered only by compressed air. It’s one of several ideas the engineers at Rice University’s George...

Exoskeleton Device Helps Stroke Victims Regain Hand Function

Working closely with users and therapists, researchers have developed a light and easy-to-attach hand exoskeleton for people unable to grasp objects following a stroke or...

Advanced Motor Technology Enables Medical Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation

The primary aim for Harmonic Bionics is to empower patients and care providers by designing intelligent technology that facilitated a data-driven treatment protocol when...

Digital Rehab: Video Game-Based Therapy Improves Motor Skills After Stroke

After a stroke, patients may lose feeling in an arm or experience weakness and reduced movement that limits their ability to complete basic daily activities. Traditional...

Robotics-Driven ‘White Cane’ Guides Users to Desired Location

Equipped with a color 3D camera, an inertial measurement sensor, and its own on-board computer, a newly improved robotic cane could offer blind and visually impaired users a...

Sense of Touch Improves Control of Robotic Arm

A team of has demonstrated how adding brain stimulation evokes tactile sensations that make it easier for the operator to manipulate a brain-controlled robotic arm. In their experiment,...

Handheld 3D Printers Treat Musculoskeletal Injuries

Researchers have developed a handheld 3D bioprinter that could revolutionize the way musculoskeletal surgical procedures are performed.

Wearable Brain Stimulation Could Safely Improve Motor Function After Stroke

A noninvasive, wearable, magnetic brain stimulation device could improve motor function in stroke patients. In an initial clinical trial of 30 chronic ischemic...

Artificial Skin Could Help Rehab, Enhance VR

Researchers have developed a soft, flexible artificial skin made of silicone and electrodes. The skin’s system of soft sensors and actuators enable the artificial skin to conform to the exact shape...

Shoe Helps Stroke Patients Relearn to Walk

A therapeutic shoe engineered to improve stroke recovery is proving successful and expected to hit the market by the end of the year. Since patients are often disappointed in their progress after...

Headset Controls: Empowering Disabled People with a Software Tool Suite

NOW Technologies is a close-knit, dedicated team of professionals working to help people with disabilities to live an independent life. Based in Budapest, Hungary, and...

Seeing the World through a Robot’s Eyes

An interface system that uses augmented reality technology could help individuals with profound motor impairments operate a humanoid robot to feed themselves and perform routine personal care tasks...