Virtual reality system in conjunction with neurorobotics and neuroprosthetics for rehabilitation of motor disorders.

ABSTRACT

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) and spinal cord injuries (SCI) are the most common causes of paralysis and paresis with reported prevalence of 12,000 cases per million and 800 cases per million, respectively. Disabilities that follow CVA (hemiplegia) or SCI (paraplegia, tetraplegia) severely impair motor functions (e.g., standing, walking, reaching and grasping) and prevent the affected individuals from healthy-like, full and autonomous participation in daily activities. Our research focuses on the development of a new virtual reality (VR) system combined with wearable neurorobotics (NR), motor-neuroprosthetics (MNP) and brain neuro-machine interface (BNMI) to overcome the major limitations of current rehabilitation solutions.