Recently, robotic-assisted stroke rehabilitation became an important research topic due to its capability to provide complex solutions to perform the customized rehabilitation motion with enhanced resources than the traditional rehabilitation. Involving robotic devices in the rehabilitation process would increase the number of possible rehabilitated patients, but placing the patient inside the workspace of the robot causes a series of risks that needs to be identified, analyzed and avoided. The goal of this work is to provide a reliable solution for an upper limb rehabilitation robotic structure designed as a result of a risk assessment process. The proposed approach implies a hazard identification process in terms of severity and probability, a failure mode and effects analysis to identify the possible malfunctions in the system and an AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) to prioritize the technical characteristics of the robotic structure. The results of the risk assessment process and of the AHP provide the base of the final design of the robotic structure, while another solution, in terms of minimizing the risk for the patient injury, is obtained using an external measuring system.

Background: Cerebrovascular accident, commonly known as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis represent significant neurological conditions affecting millions globally. Stroke remains the third leading cause of death worldwide and significantly impacts patients’ hand functionality, making hand rehabilitation crucial for improving quality of life. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted analyzing over 300 papers, and categorizing them based on mechanical design, mobility, and actuation systems. To evaluate each device, a database with 45 distinct criteria was developed to systematically assess their characteristics. Results: The analysis revealed three main categories of devices: rigid exoskeletons, soft exoskeletons, and hybrid devices. Electric actuation represents the most common source of power. The dorsal placement of the mechanism is predominant, followed by glove-based, lateral, and palmar configurations. A correlation between mass and functionality was observed during the analysis; an increase in the number of actuated fingers or in functionality automatically increases the mass of the device. The research shows significant technological evolution with considerable variation in design complexity, with 29.4% of devices using five or more actuators while 24.8% employ one or two actuators. Conclusions: While substantial progress has been made in recent years, several challenges persist, including missing information or incomplete data from source papers and a limited number of clinical studies to evaluate device effectiveness. Significant opportunities remain to improve device functionality, usability, and therapeutic effectiveness, as well as to implement advanced power systems for portable devices.

The traditional systems used in the physiotherapy rehabilitation process are evolving towards more advanced systems that use virtual reality (VR) environments so that the patient in the rehabilitation process can perform various exercises in an interactive way, thus improving the patient’s motivation and reducing the therapist’s work. The paper presents a VR simulator for an intelligent robotic system of physiotherapeutic rehabilitation of the ankle of a person who has had a stroke. This simulator can interact with a real human subject by attaching a sensor that contains a gyroscope and accelerometer to identify the position and acceleration of foot movement on three axes. An electromyography (EMG) sensor is also attached to the patient’s leg muscles to measure muscle activity because a patient who is in a worse condition has weaker muscle activity. The data collected from the sensors are taken by an intelligent module that uses machine learning to create new levels of exercise and control of the robotic rehabilitation structure of the virtual environment. Starting from these objectives, the virtual reality simulator created will have a low dependence on the therapist, this being the main improvement over other simulators already created for this purpose.

In today’s rapidly evolving information technology sectors, agile methodologies have been employed by software development organizations to facilitate the large-scale, efficient, and swift development of digital products. Notably, it is a widely accepted principle that an increase in project delivery predictability results from more effective portfolio management. Despite the abundant resources within software engineering that address project management and agile development performance, the measurement of portfolio delivery performance integrating sustainability principles is under-researched. This paper aims to underline a solution to bridge this gap by proposing a data-driven scoring model explicitly designed for software firms to integrate sustainability metrics into their project and portfolio performance assessment. The model is primarily aimed at monitoring and enhancing delivery performance while also reinforcing the sustainability of the software development lifecycle. A thorough literature review was conducted to discern gaps in existing practices, followed by development of a scoring model melded with delivery and sustainability metrics seamlessly. Validated through a case study, the findings reveal that the model influences the performance and sustainability dynamics within software development entities. The insights gained from this study underscore the pivotal role of a harmonized delivery and sustainability metrics system in enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of software development undertakings.

Stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease are some of the conditions that can lead to neuromotor disabilities requiring rehabilitation. To address the socio-economic burden that is amplified by the rapidly increasing elderly population, traditional rehabilitation techniques have recently been complemented by technological advancements, particularly Robot-Assisted Therapy (RAT). RAT enhances motor learning by improving both accuracy and consistency. This study proposes an innovative rehabilitation system that combines serious gaming and augmented reality (AR) with the LegUp parallel robot, developed for the spatial rehabilitation of the hip, knee, and ankle in bed-ridden patients. The system aims to improve patient outcomes and actively involve patients in their therapy. Electro-goniometers and a HoloLens 2 device are used to provide immediate feedback about the position of the patient’s joints, forming the basis of an interactive game in which the patient moves their leg to reach various targets. Two game modes were developed, each targeting different aspects of neuromotor rehabilitation, such as coordination, strength, and flexibility. Preliminary findings suggest that combining RAT with augmented reality-based serious gaming can increase patient motivation and engagement. Furthermore, the personalized and interactive nature of the therapy holds the potential to improve rehabilitation outcomes by fostering sustained engagement and effort.

The actual pandemic context highlighted once again the huge importance of agriculture in the society and create a path to a speeded-up digitalization. As soon as the virus crisis will end, countries will start reprioritizing their values and do investments accordingly; agriculture will regain focus. In order to get an overview image on the challenges and farmers needs in agriculture in the context of digitalization, a questionnaire-based research was made, collecting data from Romanian experienced farmers and business experts in agriculture.