Robotics and related technologies have the potential to facilitate neurorehabilitation therapy. At the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab ETH, Zurich, in collaboration with the University Hospital Balgrist, Zurich, a robot for rehabilitation of the arm was developed. ARMin III is an exoskeleton robot with seven degrees of freedom. In combination with virtual reality applications it allows for task-oriented adaptive training adjusted to each single patients need. It is used for research and evaluated in patients suffering from stroke.

In the RANA project we are developing novel methods of assessment that are automated, objective and reproducible. The focus of the RANA project is to i) to derive novel functions for robot-assisted automatic assessment and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) training, ii) to introduce and evaluate the effectiveness of these novel functions for rehabilitation in SCI patients and iii) to perform an collaborative effort with the industrial partner Hocoma AG, Volketswil, Switzerland, to transfer technology and clinical experience into commercialization.