Control software developed for BONES, the robotic exoskeleton
pictured, will be refined for use in a portable training device.
(BONES was funded by a contract from the National Center for
Medical and Rehabilitation Research, and the National Institute
of Bioimaging and Bioengineering at NIH. Photo: Paul R.Kennedy)
More than half of all stroke patients suffer chronic motor
impairment, with a large percentage experiencing difficulty in
using their hand and arm. Calit2 affiliate David Reinkensmeyer,
mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, will use a five-
year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health
to determine the efficacy of robot assistance in restoring these
fine motor skills. Reinkensmeyer is collaborating with neurology
professor Steve Cramer, electrical engineering professor Mark
Bachman and former UCI doctoral student Eric Wolbrecht, who is
now an assistant professor at University of Idaho. He says
researchers know that exercise after stroke helps restore brain
pathways, a conc