Virtual reality system in conjunction with neurorobotics and neuroprosthetics for rehabilitation in cerebrovascular accidents and spinal cord injuries

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) and spinal cord injuries (SCI) are the most common causes of paralysis and paresis with reported prevalence of 12,000 cases per million and 800 cases per million, respectively. Disabilities that follow CVA (hemiplegia) or SCI (paraplegia, tetraplegia) severely impair motor functions (e.g., standing, walking, reaching and grasping) and thereby prevent the affected individuals from healthy-like, full and autonomous participation in daily activities. We present our research inside the Hyper project (Hybrid Neuroprosthetic and Neurorobotic devices for Functional Compensation and Rehabilitation of Motor Disorders) focused on the development of a new virtual reality (VR) system combined with wearable neurorobotic (NR) and motor neuroprosthetic (MNP) to overcome the major limitations of current rehabilitation solutions.