Multimodal robot for post-stroke ankle-foot rehabilitation
The “Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton”, developed by a research team led by Dr Xiaoling HU, Associate Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named as a CES Innovation Awards 2025 Honouree. The innovation has once again been recognised for its effectiveness in helping stroke patients with hemiplegia to improve the motor function of their lower limb and walking ability.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Stroke patients need intensive and long-term rehabilitation training to improve their physical mobility and quality of life. Powered by Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the “Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton” is an innovative multimodal device that integrates the advantages of exoskeleton, soft pneumatic muscle, neuromuscular electrical stimulation and tactile sensory feedback in one system. The lightweight wearable design and a 9V rechargeable battery that can be used continuously for four hours, enables patients to pursue rehabilitation training anytime and anywhere. It can effectively correct post-stroke footdrop and foot-inversion and improve the gait and balance of stroke patients in self-help tele-rehabilitation.
The IoT technology aligned with artificial intelligence (AI) enables automatic onsite coaching feedback to a stroke patient on their training performance via a mobile app. This allows remote supervision by healthcare professionals and longitudinal management of rehabilitative progress for optimised services, providing a cost-effective and easy-to-access solution for stroke patients’ rehabilitation treatment.
Dr Xiaoling Hu said, “This technology and product can seamlessly integrate into routine rehabilitation services, enabling professionals to effectively assist more stroke patients. Through this flexible training approach, we hope to help stroke patients achieve more efficient rehabilitation progress and enhance their ability to perform daily activities, ultimately supporting their path towards greater independence in the long term.”
Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Stroke patients need intensive and long-term rehabilitation training to improve their physical mobility and quality of life. Powered by Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the “Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton” is an innovative multimodal device that integrates the advantages of exoskeleton, soft pneumatic muscle, neuromuscular electrical stimulation and tactile sensory feedback in one system. The lightweight wearable design and a 9V rechargeable battery that can be used continuously for four hours, enables patients to pursue rehabilitation training anytime and anywhere. It can effectively correct post-stroke footdrop and foot-inversion and improve the gait and balance of stroke patients in self-help tele-rehabilitation.
The IoT technology aligned with artificial intelligence (AI) enables automatic onsite coaching feedback to a stroke patient on their training performance via a mobile app. This allows remote supervision by healthcare professionals and longitudinal management of rehabilitative progress for optimised services, providing a cost-effective and easy-to-access solution for stroke patients’ rehabilitation treatment.
Dr Xiaoling Hu said, “This technology and product can seamlessly integrate into routine rehabilitation services, enabling professionals to effectively assist more stroke patients. Through this flexible training approach, we hope to help stroke patients achieve more efficient rehabilitation progress and enhance their ability to perform daily activities, ultimately supporting their path towards greater independence in the long term.”
