A recent review summarizes the expert opinions on the clinical use of different upper limb robotic devices, including active and passive exoskeletons and end-effectors. The review concludes that robotic exoskeletons such as ArmeoPower can be used to cover the whole continuum of care, from patients with no or limited active movements to those with higher functional abilities. Passive exoskeletons such as ArmeoSpring target best those patients with medium and high functional abilities. Robotic end-effectors devices can be applied to moderately impaired patients, while passive end-effector devices and haptic interfaces only cover the patients with mild impairments. The review nicely visualizes technological devices for upper limb rehabilitation according to their characteristics and clinical indications.

Link to original publication:

Morone, et al. (2020). Robot-assisted therapy for arm recovery for stroke patients: state of the art and clinical implication. Expert Rev Med Devices: 1-11.