A usability study of a soft hand rehabilitation robot for in-clinic and home-based upper limb training after stroke
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Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University

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the Key Project of Jiangsu Province's Key Research and Development Program (BE2023023-2)

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    Abstract:

    Objective: To evaluate the usability of a portable soft hand rehabilitation robot for upper limb training in patients after stroke. Methods: Thirteen stroke patients with hemiplegia were recruited to participate in a usability evaluation of the hand rehabilitation robot. Participants first received two weeks of supervised in-hospital training to learn device operation, followed by six weeks of unsupervised home-based rehabilitation (33 minutes per session, twice daily). The System Usability Scale (SUS) and semi-structured interviews were used to assess usability after completion of the intervention. Upper limb motor function and activities of daily living were evaluated at baseline and during the intervention using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the upper extremity (FMA-UE), the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and the Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL). Results:The mean SUS score of the 13 participants was 85.8 ± 10.5, indicating an “Excellent” level of usability. Semi-structured interviews revealed that the device was easy to operate and portable, while highlighting areas requiring improvement, such as device connectivity, hardware stability, and training module diversity. After the 8-week intervention, several participants demonstrated improvements in FMA-UE, ARAT, and ADL scores compared with baseline, with changes reaching the mini clinical important difference (MCID). Conclusions:The soft hand rehabilitation robot demonstrates high usability and safety for both clinical and home-based upper limb rehabilitation in stroke survivors with hemiparesis, suggesting its potential as a promising tool for post-stroke hand rehabilitation.

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History
  • Received:December 01,2025
  • Revised:February 02,2026
  • Adopted:March 24,2026
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