A Robotic Platform for 3D Forelimb Rehabilitation with Rats

Abstract

In an attempt to promote greater functional recovery after spinal cord injury, researchers have begun exploring combinatorial treatments, such as robotic rehabilitation combined with stem cell transplantation. Since these treatment methods are in their nascent stages, rodent models have been proposed for initial investigations. Robots have been built for locomotion rehabilitation and planar forelimb reach and grasp assessment with rodents; however, a robotic platform suitable for three-dimensional movement rehabilitation of the rodent forelimb has not yet been developed. In this paper, a novel three degree of freedom robotic manipulator for automated forelimb rehabilitation combined with stem cell transplantation after cervical spinal cord injury with rats is proposed. The robot interfaces with a rat in an end-effector manner, measuring and interacting with the forelimb in the 3D Cartesian space. In this work, we trained two rats through behavioral shaping to actively interact with the device during two robot control modes. This work provides preliminary investigations into the feasibility of 3D forelimb rehabilitation with rats, which could be translated as a paradigm for combinatorial treatments after spinal cord injury in a controlled manner.