The Role of Personal Characteristics in Robotic Upper-limb Rehabilitation

Despite advancements in robotic therapy, there is still a lack of understanding on how individual differences shape the learning process. Robotic-assisted training, for instance, has proven effective for some groups of both healthy and impaired individuals, but how can we make these approaches more effective and accessible to a wider population?

Research suggests that personal characteristics, like the psychological profile or the social background, play an important role in learning. However, many factors influence how people respond to training. For that reason, this project takes the first steps in identifying key elements that link human differences to robotic therapies.

Focusing on haptic upper-limb rehabilitation, where robotic forces assist hand and/or arm movement, we explore how personal characteristics, haptic guidance, and motivational factors—such as task design and engagement—interact. Our goal is to improve both the effectiveness of therapy and patient engagement. 

In the future, this knowledge could help create more personalized and adaptive rehabilitation programs tailored to each individual's needs.