NEWSROOM

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Experts warn that COVID-19 increases the risk of stroke. On the occasion of October 29, World Stroke Day, TED University announced that it received support from TUBITAK for the robotic therapy project to be developed for stroke patients.

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ISTANBUL (TR) - Stroke, one of the most common brain and nervous system disorders worldwide, ranks first among the causes of death. Every year, 17 million people in the world have a stroke, and 6 million people die due to stroke. Although it is mostly seen in middle age and above, there are stroke patients from all age groups. Moreover, current scientific studies reveal that 3 out of every 100 COVID-19 patients have a stroke. On the occasion of October 29, World Stroke Day, good news came from the academy for stroke patients, known as hemiplegia or among the people. TED University announced that it has received 36 months of support from TUBITAK for the project "Development of Robotic Mirror Therapy System for Hand Based on Motor Learning".

Four universities will showcase their expertise

The project titled “Motor Learning Based Development of Robotic Mirror Therapy System for Hand” presented to TÜBİTAK under the direction of TED University Mechanical Engineering Department Lecturer Dr. Kutluk Bilge Arıkan was deemed worthy of support for 36 months within the scope of TÜBİTAK 1001 program. The project, which started on October 15, 2021, will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team consisting of faculty members from TEDU, METU, Gazi University and Çanakkale 18 Mart University.

Patient-specific model development goal

Stating that the project is a continuation of the TÜBİTAK 1001 Project, which was completed in 2018, TED University Mechanical Engineering Department Lecturer Dr. Kutluk Bilge Arikan said; “The project we propose aims at robotic hand rehabilitation that focuses on pinch/fine grasping motion for patients with hemiplegia. Objectives such as understanding the motor relearning mechanisms in the brain during recovery and developing patient-specific models also contribute to the academic and scientific depth of the project. The project will be carried out by a team of researchers from the disciplines of mechanical engineering, neuroscience, statistics, neurology, physical medicine, rehabilitation and industrial design. Our project is also supported by the Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence, NEROM (noro-m.org).”

The burden of hospitals and therapists will be reduced

Noting that they aim to develop a robotic therapy system for hemiplegia patients with an interdisciplinary perspective, Dr. Kutluk Bilge Arıkan said, “The robot-integrated modeling and simulation of the cortical restructuring to be carried out during the project process, detailed EEG and TMS analyzes, video designs with multiple stimuli, and studies on optimizing motor learning will provide an important knowledge on computational / analytical rehabilitation. In addition to reducing the burden of hospitals and therapists, we aim to create a system that can be used at home in the long run.”

It concerns the whole society

Stroke, which is an important health problem that occurs after occlusion or bleeding in the vessels feeding the brain; It is one of the leading causes of death in the world and in our country. Patients with surviving hemiplegia often have loss or decrease in voluntary movement of the right or left side of the body. The amount of damage caused by stroke and recovery times and rates vary. The disease reduces the quality of life of patients with its sequelae and limits their independence. This is an important problem for patients, their relatives and the whole society.