Each year 15,000 Danes are hit by a stroke, while 30,000-40,000 live a life with injuries and other consequences of a stroke caused, for instance, by a heart attack or cerebral haemorrhage. The disorder often causes serious after-effects, especially paralysis of parts of the body's musculoskeletal system - including the arm and shoulder region.

Paralysis means that almost every fourth person, who has been hit by a stroke, needs help from others to cope with his/her daily activities such as eating, drinking, hair combing, and other personal hygiene tasks. (Source: Hjerteforeningen - www.hjerteforeningen.dk).

The Vision

New and customized technology can help people affected by paralysis and who need rehabilitation in the aftermath of a stroke - both in the hospital and later on in the patient's own home during rehabilitation.

In the project, "exoskeleton for the arm and shoulder region", Patient@home focuses on exploration, development and design of a compact and lightweight exoskeleton that can support and balance movements in the arm and shoulder region of patients in need of assistance or rehabilitation in this area. The project is developing a range of advanced musculoskeletal models and tools, the goal of which is to enable the design of individual and personalised exoskeletons for patients, who are typically not able to lift their affected arms out from the side of the body.

The project aims to design and develop a lightweight prototype that fully or partially relieve symptoms and paralysis, and which conveniently takes over the function of the dysfunctional muscles that caused the paralysis.