Technology is a valuable tool in rehabilitation. Our clinicians use rehabilitation technologies to allow for precise, measured, and varied repetition that can be adjusted for each person’s individualized care.
At the same time, gaming can make the repetition interesting by incorporating basic motions into a game format to maintain engagement while maximizing progress.
The following rehabilitation technologies, including robotics and gaming technology, are offered at several UPMC Rehabilitation Institute inpatient and outpatient locations. Learn how they work, what they do, who they can help, and where they are available.
The AlterG utilizes NASA unweighting technology to reduce the impact of walking or running to ease function and aerobic exercise during recovery.
The AlterG is a treadmill with a large inflatable enclosure that fills with air and uses differential air pressure technology to unweight the user. A specific pair of shorts helps to create an airtight environment from the waist down. Three cameras around the treadmill allow for real-time feedback on gait deviations, foot clearance, and step length.
The AlterG helps to improve motor control, strength, endurance, and gait patterns.
People with impaired strength and/or sensation secondary to an illness, surgery, or neurological condition who are working on walking.
The Andago enables upright, hands-free walking that bridges the gap between treadmill-based gait training and free walking.
The mobile robot is comprised of two electronically driven wheels and four casters that allow the device to move forward, backward, and make turns. A harness provides fall protection and ensures safe, confident training in activities related to standing balance or walking. The device’s intuitive design enables it to move and turn according to the demands of the patient. The device allows the user to walk over natural surfaces rather than being restricted to a treadmill.
The Andago helps rehab patients move from assisted gait therapy to unsupported walking sooner than traditional therapy would allow.
People with impaired strength and/or sensation secondary to an illness, surgery, or neurological condition who are working on walking.
The Armeo devices use game-like augmented performance feedback to provide training in strength and range of motion in exercises that can be tailored to the user.
The Armeo®Spring is an exoskeleton that partially compensates for the weight of your arm, allowing you to use your remaining strength to perform exercises. The Armeo®Power is similar but adds as much assistance as is needed to help the user complete different exercises.
Insert your arms into the device to move in all directions while:
The Armeo provides fun and motivating therapeutic exercise while “reminding” your brain how to control arm function.
Benefits people who have limited use of their arm(s), such as secondary to stroke, spinal cord injury, or brain injury.
Balance Master uses an interactive, dynamic platform that measures strategies used to maintain balance.
Balance Master offers both static and dynamic assessments, providing quantitative data on sensory and voluntary motor control of balance. It also can simulate real-life balance challenges in a controlled environment.
Gradually improves stability, mobility, and confidence in performing daily activities – as well as allows rehab experts to assess root causes of imbalance and create individualized treatment plans.
Benefits individuals with balance disorders.
This ergonomically designed, easy-to-operate system helps users grasp, open, and close the hand.
The system has step-by-step testing protocols and training modes in both static and dynamic formats. Biodex Balance System™ SD is sometimes used in conjunction with the Guldmann Safety Harness to offer additional support.
Helps patients needing to improve balance, increase agility, and/or develop muscle tone.
Benefits those at risk for falls, including older adults and those with vestibular disorders.
This is an ergonomically designed, easy-to-operate system that helps users grasp, open, and close the hand.
The system’s advanced technology delivers low-level electrical stimulation to activate the nerves that control the muscles in the hand and forearm.
Helps facilitate grasping, opening, and closing the hand.
Benefits individuals with hand immobility.
Using a portable touchscreen, the user plays visual games that record and track progress over time.
BITS offers several customizable touchscreen therapy programs focused on visual-vestibular integration, problem-solving, and cognition.
BITS helps increase arm movement while improving your hand-eye coordination, reaction time, depth perception, and working memory.
Benefits individuals with disabilities resulting from traumatic injuries and movement disorders. BITS can also improve performance in competitive athletes.
This is a functional electrical stimulation unit used for foot drop and thigh weakness to help provide patients with freedom and independence.
With 3D motion detection the device provides electrical stimulation precisely when needed, making it easier for people to clear their foot at different walking speeds, on stairs, ramps, and while navigating uneven terrain.
In addition to helping people regain a more natural gait, this system can reeducate muscles, reduce muscle atrophy, increase range of motion, and increase blood flow.
Benefits people who have foot drop or thigh weakness.
This system provides dynamic body weight support to work on balance, walking, and activities of daily living.
The Bioness Vector Gait and Safety System is a harness connected to a ceiling track, typically around the perimeter of a therapy gym.
Patients are helped into the harness and can walk freely around the room along the track path to work on strengthening and balance while walking.
Benefits individuals with limited mobility or strength, as well as balance disorders.
The Dynavision D2 is a board with 64 3D light-up targets arranged in five rings to challenge balance, agility, and reaction time. Progress can be tracked over time.
The Dynavision D2 is a 4x4-foot square that is height-adjustable. It offers multiple modes to adjust the target’s location, color, duration, and frequency. The LED screen located at eye level can be used to flash numbers, letters, words, and math problems along with the lights, to further increase the challenge.
This activity challenges vision, reaction time, balance, arm range of motion, and multi-tasking skills. It can be performed while seated or standing and in conjunction with varied surfaces to create a balance challenge.
Originally developed for hockey goalies, the Dynavision D2 can help people with neurological and orthopaedic conditions to improve:
The ErigoPro is a robotic tilt table that moves you into a more upright posture while electrical stimulation increases blood flow and muscle strength.
Electrodes are placed on the skin to stimulate muscle contraction.
The ErigoPro increases your tolerance for being in an upright or standing position.
Benefits people with circulatory, neurological, or musculoskeletal conditions. The ErigoPro is also used to:
UPMC Mercy.
LiteGait provides posture control and weight-bearing assistance for fall-free rehabilitation.
Provides body weight support via a harness. Support is directed only where needed while facilitating normal weight-bearing where appropriate. Overhead straps provide posture control and support even for those who cannot support themselves.
It allows people who cannot stand or walk without support to engage in gait and balance training.
Benefits those with balance issues, muscle weakness, or those who cannot support their weight.
The MusicGlove is a rehabilitation tool designed to help people regain lost hand function using a glove with sensors and a musical video game.
Worn on one hand, the MusicGlove has sensors on each finger that record your movements and track your progress. A game is displayed on a monitor, and users are encouraged to follow the prompts on the screen by tapping them with their gloved fingers.
This device provides a fun and engaging way to improve dexterity and hand movement speed with music and video games.
Benefits people who have limited use of their hands or fingers.
In an inpatient therapy setting, we use the Wii both as a leisure-time activity and as part of a person’s individual rehab routines.
You play various sports and recreational Wii games while:
Therapists can adapt your gaming experience to focus on:
Because of the variety and flexibility of the games, Wii benefits most people undergoing rehabilitation.
This technology helps to maintain/increase muscle mass in arm or leg and core muscles through integrated functional electrical stimulation combined with motor assistance/resistance activities for cycling.
After placing electrodes on the target muscle groups and conducting muscle testing to ensure optimal response, a rehabilitation professional will customize the stimulation settings to evoke the desired muscle contraction for each muscle group. The settings will be adjusted to accommodate the person’s level of sensation and therapeutic needs.
It is proven to help reduce muscle atrophy and spasms, improve local circulation, maintain/increase range of motion, and facilitate muscle reeducation.
Benefits people with lower extremity weakness secondary to neurologic injury.
This technology encourages engagement during therapy by having users compete in virtual reality activities.
People may participate in typical therapy activities while wearing the VR headset. The VR may also be used to guide them through therapy in another setting, making exercises more engaging.
VR can improve balance, coordination, and engagement in therapy activities.
Because of the variety and flexibility VR, it benefits most people undergoing rehabilitation.
