Device for a novel hand and wrist rehabilitation strategy for stroke patients based on illusory movements induced by tendon vibration

This paper presents a new device for a novel neurorehabilitation strategy for stroke patients suffering from upper limb paralysis. The concept consists in combining illusory movements, induced by tendon vibration on the hand and wrist, with a virtual reality visualization of the hand to support the positive effects of motor imagery reported in the literature. The aim is to induce and support plastic processes in affected brain regions to promote the ability to perform basic gestures like grasping. The device is capable of vibrating simultaneously or independently with an adjustable frequency on precise locations on the flexor tendons of the five fingers. The experimental results show that strong illusory movements can be induced in a group of 10 healthy subjects with a very high reliability of 86 to 100% demonstrating the concept feasibility and performance of the solution.