Neuromechanical Biomarkers for Upper Limb Assessment

Effective neurorehabilitation techniques necessitate the identification of reliable biomarkers to enhance assistive technology functionality and patient outcomes: This project introduces NeBULA (Neuromechanical Biomarkers for Upper Limb Assessment), a standardized framework designed for the identification and application of neuromechanical biomarkers (NBs) in upper limb function assessment. It aims to facilitate the benchmarking of assistive technologies and provide objective measurements for rehabilitation outcomes. NeBULA features a novel experimental setup designed to simulate daily upper limb tasks through standardized reaching movements, reflecting everyday activities. This setup is adaptable to individual differences and integrates electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and robotic kinematic measurements to generate NBs. These biomarkers serve as the foundation for characterizing motor abilities, enabling the creation of a reference for healthy movement to effectively assess the performance of assistive technology. The project showcases a proof of concept for motor abilities with a comprehensive dataset from 40 healthy subjects. The analysis delineates nine motor abilities, setting a baseline for healthy movement that will inform future clinical applications, targeting rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. The results from NeBULA underscore its capability in standardizing movement characterization and detecting changes in motor abilities, particularly through a use case involving an upper limb exoskeleton prototype. Such results confirm NeBULA’s potential in assessing movement and quantifying changes in motor abilities with assistive devices, establishing a methodological standard for evaluating assistive technologies in neurorehabilitation. By integrating motor control theories with clinical practice, this work lays the foundation for novel rehabilitation assessment strategies, focusing on personalized approaches.