Review Article

A Systematic Review of Bilateral Upper Limb Training Devices for Poststroke Rehabilitation

Table 2

Summary of robotic bilateral upper limb training devices.

Name of deviceMovement of most impaired upper limbTargeted part of the upper limbDevice clinical investigation (patients in phase post-stroke: acute, subacute, or chronic)Commercially available

H-O-HPassive and assistedDistal (wrist)NoNo

Bimanual Lifting RehabilitatorPassive and assistedProximal
(shoulder and elbow)
NoNo

MIMEAssisted (in bilateral mode)Proximal
(shoulder and elbow)
1 RCT (acute) [35]
1 RCT (subacute) [34]
1 RCT (chronic) [33]
No

ARCMIMEAssisted (in bilateral mode)Proximal
(shoulder and elbow)
NoNo

Braccio di FerroAssisted and activeProximal
(shoulder and elbow)
NoNo

Bimanual HandlebarActiveProximal
(shoulder and elbow)
NoNo

Bi-Manu TrackPassive, assisted, and activeDistal
(elbow/forearm and wrist)
2 RCTs (subacute) [42, 43]
3 RCTs (chronic) [4446]
1 RCT in progress (chronic)
(http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/,
NCT01525979)
Yes

Hand Robotic Rehabilitation DevicePassive, assisted, and activeDistal
(elbow/forearm and wrist)
NoNo

BFIAMTPassive, assisted, and activeProximal
(shoulder and elbow)
1 single group study
(chronic) [48]
No

Bimanual Coordinate Training SystemPassive, assisted, and activeProximal (elbow)NoNo

Driver’s SEATPassive, assisted, and activeProximal
(shoulder and elbow)
NoNo

Adaptive Bimanual Robotic TrainingActive (with passive gravity compensation)Proximal
(shoulder and elbow)
NoNo

Virtual Reality PianoAssisted and activeDistal
(wrist and fingers)
1 single group
study (chronic) [53]
Virtual Reality
Piano: no
CyberGrasp: yes

EXO-UL7AssistedProximal and distal
(shoulder, elbow, Forearm, and wrist)
1 RCT (chronic) [54]No

H-O-H: hand-object-hand; MIME: Mirror Image Movement Enabler; ARCMIME: Applied Resources Corp. Mirror Image Movement Enabler; BFIAMT: bilateral force-induced isokinetic arm movement Trainer; RCT: randomized clinical trial.