The Balance and Gait Training Program at Texas State University has acquired an InMotion Arm Robot from Interactive Motion Technologies, Watertown, Mass.

The prime beneficiaries will be patients with hemiparesis, according to Department of Physical Therapy professor Denise Gobert. Rehabilitation Medical Products, Austin, Tex, facilitated the donation of the device.

“This robot will allow a patient to practice using motion to strengthen their weak arm,” Gobert said. “To become a physical habit, the motion has to be repeated 10,000 times. The InMotion Arm Robot gives us the opportunity for mass practice.”

The Balance and Gait Training Program has seen positive results in the area of lower-body rehabilitation, but the program lacks in upper extremity rehabilitation. The new robot is a step to improve in that area, Gobert said.

“The patient is forced to use their weak limb with the robotic arm. It also helps them with hand squeezing,” Gobert said. “It works by augmenting the strength of the person doing the exercise, but it resists unproductive movements so that patients don’t fall into bad habits that could hamper recovery."

[Source: San Marcos Local News]