The aim of this study was to provide a systematic review of studies that investigated the effectiveness of robot-assisted therapy on ankle motor and function recovery from musculoskeletal or neurologic ankle injuries. Thirteen electronic databases of articles published from January, 1980 to June, 2012 were searched using keywords 'ankle*', 'robot*', 'rehabilitat*' or 'treat*' and a free search in Google Scholar based on effects of ankle rehabilitation robots was also conducted. References listed in relevant publications were further screened. Eventually, twenty-nine articles were selected for review and they focused on effects of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria and a total of 164 patients and 24 healthy subjects participated in these trials. Ankle performance and gait function were the main outcome measures used to assess the therapeutic effects of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation. The protocols and therapy treatments were varied, which made comparison among different studies difficult or impossible. Few comparative trials were conducted among different devices or control strategies. Moreover, the majority of study designs met levels of evidence that were no higher than American Academy for Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) level IV. Only one study used a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) approach with the evidence level being II. All the selected studies showed improvements in terms of ankle performance or gait function after a period of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation training. The most effective robot-assisted intervention cannot be determined due to the lack of universal evaluation criteria for various devices and control strategies. Future research into the effects of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation should be carried out based on universal evaluation criteria, which could determine the most effective method of intervention. It is also essential to conduct trials to analyse the differences among different devices or control strategies.

Despite the well-documented importance of braille for people who are blind or visually impaired, few studies explore technology for facilitating braille literacy education. Evaluations of the impac...

Purpose: Using a commercial electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain–computer interface (BCI), the training and testing protocol for six individuals with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (GMFCS and MACS IV and V) was evaluated. Method: A customised, gamified training paradigm was employed. Over three weeks, the participants spent two sessions exploring the system, and up to six sessions playing the game which focussed on EEG feedback of left and right arm motor imagery. Results: The participants showed variable inconclusive results in the ability to produce two distinct EEG patterns. Participant performance was influenced by physical illness, motivation, fatigue and concentration. Conclusions: The results from this case study highlight the infancy of BCIs as a form of assistive technology for people with cerebral palsy. Existing commercial BCIs are not designed according to the needs of end-users.