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Wearable Robotics and Gait Training after Stroke

A Tool to Boost Cortical Plasticity. Empowerment or Embodiment?

Franco Molteni, Valduce Hospital, IT

 The talk will explore the implications of the interaction between patients and wearable exoskeletons during robotic gait training for stroke rehabilitation focusing on the patients’ affective experience. Human gaits are the various ways in which a human can move, either naturally or as a result of specialized training. Post stroke gait disturbance and related disabilities are a common problem. Much effort goes into helping these patients to regain the ability to walk at least at home. In recent years, powered wearable exoskeletons, used to perform over-ground gait training in neurological patients, have been developed. This way, stroke survivors are empowered to perform a high number of task-oriented repetitive movements. The patient-robot interaction is crucial to produce the best gait pattern. The experience of the patient – and in particular, emotion, motivation, and sensory integration – during over-ground robotic gait training offers a different way of thinking to sensory feedback, effort and sense of agency produced by the assisted gait pattern.