MARS-RERC

Machines Assisting Recovery from Stroke (MARS) is a center of excellence established by funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's (NIDRR) (opens new window)  Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) program (opens new window). Our research focuses on robots for rehabilitation therapy after hemispheric stroke, which is the most common neurological disorder that requires intensive and prolonged rehabilitation. Devices that assist the therapist in providing rationally based, intensive and long duration stroke treatments can also be used to monitor progress and help improve functional performance.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, together with its multi-national partners at Northwestern University (opens new window), the University of Illinois at Chicago (opens new window), the University of California at Irvine (opens new window), ETH in Zurich (opens new window) and the INAOE, Puebla, Mexico (opens new window) make up a multicenter effort to use robots to explore new approaches that improve functional outcomes during either reach-and-grasp or full body locomotion activities. There are six key development, research and training subprojects of intensive study:

• D1 Lokomat: Development of new capabilities of the Lokomat® walking robot
• D2 Hand:  Development of hand technology involving reaching  
• D3 T-WREX:  Development of telerehabilitation arm gravity-assistance
• R1 UE VR Training:  Research benefits of error augmentation
• R2 KineAssist:  Outcomes associated with progressive balance and gait training using the KineAssist® robot  
• T1  Design:  Training initiative on rehabilitation-oriented engineering design

Watch the MARS slideshow from the National Director's Meeting , May 2008.

Additionally, research training is a critical component that includes medical students, residents, physical therapists, occupational therapists and graduate students in engineering and neuroscience. We will leverage the RIC Academy for continuing education, on-site training and archived web-based presentations network.

MARS-RERC sponsors the Rehabilitation Robotics list server REHABROBOTICS, which is the electronic mailing list for disseminating information to large numbers of people with interests in Rehabilitation Robotics. Join to subscribe to the rehabrobotics mailing list.

Over-reaching Outcome Goals

The 6 projects proposed in this RERC (three development, two research and one training project) will focus on the following key outcome goals to guide all people working in this emerging field:

• Advance the state of knowledge of stroke functional restoration
• Assessment of robots as diagnostic tools compared to other methods
• Prioritizing the value of different robotic treatment methods
• Increase the national capacity for therapeutic robotics research
• Develop robot systems, software, and protocols suitable for robotic diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients
• Build on our existing environment and network of colleagues that fosters free exchange of ideas, ease in testing of new hypotheses, and rapid prototyping of devices
• Increase the national capacity for therapeutic robotics training
• Provide an array of professional seminars and other elements that facilitate training and research
• Produce more experts in this field
• Refine the educational process that produces these individuals
• Increase the awareness of this educational process
• Strengthen the relationships amongst researchers, companies, and associations that facilitate technology transfer and growth of the field, by furthering potential for commercial products licensing and distribution.