ERC-Small Business: Virtual Coach for Home-based Neuro-robotic Therapy

这项工作是生活质量技术中心（QoLT）与Myomo （ERC的一个小型商业合作伙伴）之间的合作。QoLT是自2006年以来成立的美国国家科学基金会工程研究中心（ERC）。Myomo一直在美国主要医院开发和测试神经机器人设备。生活质量技术（QoLT）中心一直在开发一种名为虚拟教练的技术，以指导锻炼，鼓励一般的身体活动，并确保正确使用辅助技术。拟议合作的目标是使治疗师能够在虚拟环境中为患者提供支持，即通过使用基于计算机的代理人，而无需实际在场。这种虚拟教练将补充另一种有前途的方法——神经机器人疗法，帮助患者重新学习如何使用自己的肌肉信号来移动部分瘫痪（半麻痹）的手臂。这个项目有两个目标。转化研究的目标是使QoLT虚拟教练技术专业化，以实现神经机器人治疗监测和报告能力。Myomo将把虚拟教练原型商业化，从而扩大其产品线，为其新的mPower硬件设备产品线提供有价值的配套软件。探索性研究的目标是使虚拟教练更加自主，即通过自我调整治疗方案和在锻炼过程中对患者的非语言提示做出反应等功能，使其表现得更像一个人类治疗师。该研究解决了基于计算机的指导中设计算法的重大挑战，这些算法以预期的方式影响人类行为。很难预测人们对命令、指示、提示和奖励的反应。有些人对培养有良好的反应，而另一些人对命令有更好的反应。此外，特定个体的反应可能与日常不同。为了成为一个可行的、普及的解决方案，虚拟教练设备需要调整自己以适应他们所服务的人的心理。这项研究还解决了为那些本身可能不擅长技术的用户设计人类与复杂技术之间的交互的挑战。对于那些对老年人最有利的产品来说，这一点尤其重要，因为老年人通常是对电脑、互联网、智能手机等最不熟悉的人群，有时甚至会被它们吓倒。更广泛的影响中风在美国成年人口中的发病率为2.9%，每年有近80万例新发或复发病例。神经肌肉损伤是一种常见的后果，可以通过适当的治疗来克服。这个项目将产生的新产品将减轻面对面治疗的需求，将需要更少的时间从合格的护理提供者，并有可能降低中风患者治疗的总成本。

ABSTRACT1128614Carnegie Mellon UniversitySieworek This effort is a collaboration between the Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center, an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) since 2006, and Myomo, a small business partner of the ERC. Myomo has been developing and testing neuro-robotic devices in leading US hospitals. The Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center has been developing a technology called Virtual Coach to coach exercises, to encourage general physical activity, and to ensure proper use of assistive technologies. The goal of the proposed collaboration is to enable therapists to provide support to their patients in a virtual context, i.e., without actually being present, through the use of computer-based surrogates. This Virtual Coach will complement another promising approach, neuro-robotic therapy, that helps patients re-learn how to move partially paralyzed (hemi-paretic) arms using their own muscle signals. This project has two objectives. The translational research objective is to specialize QoLT Virtual Coach technology to realize a neuro-robotic therapy monitoring and reporting capability. Myomo will commercialize the resulting Virtual Coach prototype, thereby broadening its product line to include valued companion software for its new line of mPower hardware devices. The exploratory research objective is to make the Virtual Coach more autonomous, i.e., to have it behave more like a human therapist through functions like self-adjusting the therapeutic regimen and responding to non-verbal cues from the patient during exercise sessions. Intellectual MeritThe research addresses the significant challenge in computer-based coaching of devising algorithms that affect human behavior in an intended way. It is difficult to predict how people will react to commands, instructions, prompts and rewards. Some people respond well to nurturing, while others respond better to commands. In addition a particular individual may respond differently from day-to-day. To be a viable, pervasive solution, Virtual Coach devices will need to tune themselves to the psychology of the people they serve. The research also addresses the challenge of designing interactions between humans and sophisticated technologies for users who themselves may not be technologically inclined. This is particularly relevant for products that would most benefit older adults, who are generally among the least versed in, and sometimes intimidated by, computers, the Internet, smartphones, etc Broader Impact Stroke occurs in 2.9% of the US adult population and there are nearly 800,000 new or recurring cases annually. Neuromuscular impairment is a common consequence that can be overcome with appropriate therapy. The new product that will result form this project will alleviate some of the need for face-to-face therapy sessions, will require less time from qualified care providers, and potentially lower the total cost for therapy for stroke victims.