IPAB Visitor Seminar - 18/3/2026

Title: Exoskeletons to Restore Mobility: Translating Research into Clinical Practice

Abstract: Neurological injuries are the primary cause of long-term disability in developed nations. While physical therapy is indispensable for recovery, manual rehabilitation remains the clinical standard despite inherent limitations in scalability and labor intensity. Robotic systems offer a transformative alternative by mitigating the physical burden on therapists while facilitating safe, high-intensity interventions. Furthermore, these platforms enable the quantitative assessment of patient progress, supporting continuous, data-driven personalization of treatment protocols.

In this talk, we review several case studies of exoskeletons engineered to restore mobility in patients with neurological pathologies. Specifically, we discuss how challenges in mechatronic design, interaction control, assistance personalization, and user evaluation are navigated to successfully translate laboratory research into clinical practice, directly enhancing patient outcomes.