What is MIT-Manus System

The development of MIT-Manus is believed to have started over 20 years ago by Hermano Igo Krebs, a principal research scientist in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. The core principle of the system is that stroke patients may see maximum positive outcomes when they have to make a conscious effort during physical therapy. The system simply requires the patient to grip a robotic joystick that chaperons the patient’s arm, wrist or hand as he or she tries to make particular movements. This would assist the brain in making new connections which could eventually help the patient re-learn movement of the limb on his or her own. Patients employing the MIT-Manus are required to grasp a joystick-like handle attached to a computer monitor. The monitor shows tasks that may be identical to those found in simple video games. A typical task will include the subject attempting to move the robot handle toward a moving or stationary target displayed on the computer monitor. Movement of the person in the wrong direction or no movement at all will cause the robotic arm to gently nudge his or her arm in the correct direction ( Crasto 2010 ).

RehaInteract: 3D Kinesitherapy for Domestic Environments

Andreas Kliem (Technische Universität Berlin, Germany), Anne Grohnert (Technische Universität Berlin, Germany), Michael John (Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems, Germany), Gerd Kock (Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems, Germany), and Andreas Smurawski (Reha-Zentrum Lübben, Germany)