Mobile Service Robot for Task-Oriented Stroke Therapy: User Evaluations

By developing an affordable mobile service robot for therapeutic activities in a health center environment, this project addresses the issue of both the high cost and man-power required to provide rehabilitation for stroke survivors and other patients. Our goal is to measure users - clinician and patient - responses to a telepresence robot, VGo, that has been modified with a humanoid torso robot, NAO, to facilitate remote communication between the patient and clinician, and to complete supervisory exercise coaching.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stroke
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Mobile Service Robot Survey for Patients; Other: Mobile Service Robot Survey

Detailed Description

This is a short demonstration and survey study. Clinical staff and patients will be gathered together and our idea for the mobile service robot will discussed. A demonstration of the telepresence feature of the robots and the NAO robot greeting and helping them with simple exercises will follow (e.g., pick up and object that is handy and lift their hands over their heads). The approximately 30-minute demonstration part of the study will start with an introduction and explanation about the project and a short speech about the Rehabilitation and Robotics Lab. After the demonstration the oral consent will be read and surveys will be handed out to those study participants who agree to complete them; if necessary, the research team will assist the study participant with the survey. Surveys will then be collected, and the group will be thanked by the research team.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 62

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19146
      • Penn Medicine Rittenhouse

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Therapists with neuro-rehab experience. Patients with neural injury.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Certified rehabilitation healthcare professionals
• Participants with upper extremity disabilities
• Participant must be older than 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

-Less than 18 years of age

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Focus groups- Patients; Subjects with or without an upper extremity disability will be asked to observe and interact with the mobile service robot.	Other: Mobile Service Robot Survey for Patients; The goal is to build a low-cost mobile service robot that will focus on the simple, but key, repetitive, data-driven tasks that robots do well. Rather than attempt to create a robot helper that mimics humans, the goal is to free human caregivers from the time-consuming tasks that robots can accomplish with facility, thereby allowing humans to focus on tasks that humans do best (i.e. human contact). This survey differs in terms of design questions.
Focus Groups-clinicians; Clinicians with neuro-rehab experience.	Other: Mobile Service Robot Survey; The goal is to build a low-cost mobile service robot that will focus on the simple, but key, repetitive, data-driven tasks that robots do well. Rather than attempt to create a robot helper that mimics humans, the goal is to free human caregivers from the time-consuming tasks that robots can accomplish with facility, thereby allowing humans to focus on tasks that humans do best (i.e. human contact).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perception of the interaction with the robot	Perception of the robot measured by surveys administered to participants as well as by observation with the robot.	up to 1 week
Usability of the robot	Portability, ease of set up, cost, and appearance measured by surveys administered to participants as well as by observation with the robot.	up to 1 week
Sociability with the robot	Sociability of robot measured by surveys administered to participants as well as by observation with the robot.	up to 1 week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Design requirements	Design requirements measured by surveys administered to participants as well as by observation with the robot.	up to 1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michelle J Johnson, PhD, Penn Medicine Rittenhouse

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wilk R. and Johnson MJ. 5th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics. ; 08/2014. doi:10.1109/BIOROB.2014.6913816

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 31, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 17, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): May 20, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 23, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 21, 2021
• Last Verified: June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: stroke; rehabilitation; elderly; aged; upper extremity; robotics; telepresence; Housing for the elderly; retirement; homes for the aged
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Stroke
• Other Study ID Numbers: 819669

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No