Robot-assisted therapy protocol
hand movements
RECRUITMENT
The 40-min robot-assisted therapy consisted of 10-min active-assisted training and 30-min interactive training using the Hand of Hope (HOH) robotic hand system (Rehab-Robotics Co. Ltd, Hongkong, China). HOH is an exoskeleton type of robot with 2 surface electromyography (EMG) sensors that detect the level of motor unit recruitment. In active-assisted training, the robot provided participants with assistive movements that guided the fingers to complete grasp and release motion or pinch and release motion, once the EMG signal exceeds the predetermined threshold. In interactive training, the therapist selected 3 interactive games from the robot system and chose the level of difficulty based on participants' upper limb functional status. Participants were instructed to coordinate arm and hand movements to complete game missions. A detailed description of the robot was presented in a previous paper