Upper-limb actuated exoskeleton for muscular dystrophy patients: preliminary results

Being able to perform a lost movement is an important experience towards increased independence and self-esteem, particularly for neuromuscular patients, who see their muscles weaken day after day. In this pilot study, preliminary results on the testing of a motorized upper-limb exoskeleton for muscular dystrophy patients are presented. The mechatronic system is a five Degrees of Freedom exoskeleton, which acts at shoulder, elbow, and wrist levels. It is designed to help severely impaired people to regain independence during daily-life activities. While wearing the exoskeleton, the user has the direct control of the system by actively piloting the position of end-effector by means of joystick or vocal control. The usability of the system and a quantitative assessment of arm functionality with and without the exoskeleton are evaluated on five muscular dystrophy patients. According to the objective functional benefit evaluation performed through the PUL scale, all participants strongly increased their range of motion and they were able to perform activities that were not possible without the exoskeleton, such as such as feeding, playing activities at the table, combing hair or using a keyboard. As for the evaluation of self-perceived functional benefit, four patients reflected the effective measured functional improvement. System usability has been evaluated to be good.