Some Key Problems for Robot-Assisted Movement Therapy Research: A Perspective from the University of California at Irvine

The field of robot-assisted movement therapy grew rapidly over the past ten years. In this paper we discuss three problems that the field will likely need to address in order to continue to flourish. These problems are to: 1) define the specific benefits of robotic actuation 2) increase the magnitude of functional benefits of robotic training; and 3) identify the mechanisms of motor learning in robot-manipulated environments. We review recent research in our laboratory that is addressing these problems. These projects are identifying motor learning tasks that robotic assistance can enhance, developing non-robotic technology when appropriate, and optimizing the forms of robotic assistance to the motor learning properties of humans.