Issue 5 - Wednesday, 11th December 2024 |
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(See bellow for the English version) |
NYHEDER |
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CRERoB fortsætter rehabiliteringsrobotforskning med ny støtte fra Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond |
Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond har bevilget CRERoB 1,43 millioner EUR til at forlænge vores forskning i yderligere tre år. Under ledelse af professor Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk støtter denne bevilling CRERoB’s mission om at fremme rehabiliteringsrobotik, exoskeletter og innovative hjælpemidler, der gavner personer med neurologiske lidelser som ALS, rygmarvsskader, stroke og cerebral parese. Dette tværfaglige samarbejde på Aalborg Universitet, sammen med Aalborg Universitetshospital og støttet af et ekspert- team af medansøgere og kliniske partnere, vil fortsætte med at forbedre og fremme sundhedsvidenskab og teknologier med henblik på nye nyttige løsninger for brugere, der står over for funktionelle udfordringer i deres dagligdag. Vi er meget taknemmelige over for Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond for at muliggøre fortsættelsen af vores forskning. Listen over samarbejdspartnere er tilgængelig på CRERoB’s vbn: https://vbn.aau.dk/da/organisations/center-for-rehabilitation-robotics |
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Brugere med ALS- og forskere mødtes på Nordisk ALS Conference |
Det er ikke ofte, at unge forskere på en konference kan møde både mennesker, der lever med ALS, klinikere inden for ALS og forskere, men det var præcis præmissen ved Nordic ALS Conference 2024 i Korsør, organiseret af professor Jakob Blicher’s team og Muskelsvindfonden med støtte af Louis-Hansen Fonden. Udover oplæg fra fremragende tyske, svenske, norske, belgiske og danske forskere gav professor Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk også et oplæg, der præsenterede de videnskabelige fremskridt inden for hjælpemidler til ALS fra CRERoB. Herefter præsenterede de unge forskere deres forskning for mennesker, der lever med ALS. Blandt de unge forskere var den Ph.d.-studerende fra vores forskergruppe, Dávid Gulyás, som fik værdifuldt input og feedback, der err afgørende for hans forskning. Vi er taknemmelige for, at vi kunne deltage i denne betydningsfulde og givtige begivenhed.
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CRERoB på EMBC 2025: En must-attend begivenhed for forskere, klinikere og industri |
Vi er glade for at kunne annoncere, at CRERoB vil være repræsenteret ved den 47. årlige internationale konference for IEEE Engineering in
Medicine and Biology Society i København 2025 (EMBC 2025) med professor Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk som medlem af organisationskomitéen. EMBC, et flagskib for
IEEE EMBS, er kendt for at samle anerkendte ledere inden for biomedicinsk ingeniørvidenskab og forventer 2000 deltagere. Årets program vil adressere emner,
der er relevante for forskere, klinikere og industri, herunder robotteknologi, biomekanik, hjælpemidler og augmentative teknologier. På konferencens udstillingsområdevises der
banebrydende innovationer fra førende virksomheder. Uanset om du er i akademia, sundhedssektoren eller industrien,
tilbyder EMBC 2025 enestående muligheder for vidensdeling og netværk. Der er inkluderet en messe for virksomheder indenfor Health. Læs mere om konferencen her:
her: https://embc.embs.org/2025/Vi
håber at se dig!
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Crerob Modtager Støtte Til Metoder Til Als-Diagnose |
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Hvordan kommunikerer man, når man er fuldstændig lammet? Teknologiske hjælpemidler til kommunikation for mennesker med locked-in syndrom, der er fuldstændigt lammede er et område, der er blevet forsket meget indenfor, men desværre er forskningsresultaterne ikke tilgængelige for brugerne i det ønskede omfang. CRERoB’s nye Ph.d.-studerende, Dávid Gulyás, der blev en del af forskergruppen i august, sigter mod at udvikle mere tilgængelige kommunikationssystemer for personer i de sene stadier af ALS. Dávid har for nylig afsluttet sin kandidatgrad i biomedicinsk ingeniørvidenskab og informatik og bibringer erfaring med Brain-Computer Interface-systemer til dette arbejde. |
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CREROB var vært for NAD PhD Fellows til en inspirerende dag med innovation |
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CRERoB var vært for Ph.d.-studerende fra Neuroscience Academy Denmark (NAD) til en inspirerende dag med vidensudveksling og ”hands-on” fremvisninger i januar 2024. De Ph.d.-studerende så vores nyeste projekter, herunder håndtræningssystemet til hjemmebrug: eMotivo, et ikke-invasivt induktivt tunge-computer interface, og hybride Brain-Computer Interfaces, samt oplevede EXOTIC exoskelettet på egen krop. Det var interssant at dele vores vision med en gruppe, der er lige så passioneret omkring neurovidenskab og assisterende teknologi som os. Engagerende diskussioner og live- fremvisninger gav de NAD-besøgende et unikt indblik i vores forskning inden for neurorehabiliteringsteknologi, hvilket skabte indsigtsfulde samtaler og begejstring for fremtidig innovation. |
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Samarbejdsbesøg på Imperial College London
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Envigtig del af Ph.d.-forskning er muligheden for at samarbejde med internationale laboratorier. I maj besøgte Ana Sofia Cardoso fra CRERoB professor Dario Farina’s laboratorium på Imperial College London i en uge. Under sit ophold installerede og fremviste Sofia CRERoB’s tunge-computer interface samt software-simulering af en EXOTIC arm, hvor hun samtidig også oplevede Quattrocento høj-densitets overflade EMG forstærker og ultralydsbaserede kontrolsystem i aktion. Vi takker for professor Dario Fraina’s venlige gæstfrihed og ser frem til fremtidige samarbejder |
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VORES PROJEKTER |
Følg os på LinkedIn og bliv opdateret. |
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EXOTIC Exoskeleton: Evaluering med brugere med ALS og SCI |
EXOTIC2 |
Exoskeletter spiller en afgørende rolle i at forbedre mobiliteten og livskvaliteten for personer med rygmarvsskade eller ALS, skader der reducerer mobilitet, funktionsevne og selvstændighed. EXOTIC exoskelettet fra CRERoB integrerer nye ikke-invasive tunge-kontrol interface, hjerne-kontrol interface, muskel-kontrol interface og computer vision-baseret kontrol for at hjælpe brugerne i deres daglige aktiviteter. Efter test på raske deltagere for at forfine systemet, fortsatte vi med de kliniske forsøg, først med brugere med ALS på Aalborg Universitet (jf billedet ovenfor) og senere med brugere med SCI på Vestdansk Center for Rygmarvsskade (VCR), Viborg. Den uvurderlige feedback, vi fik fra begge grupper, har været afgørende for at forbedre systemets yde- og tilpasningsevne. Mange tak til deltagerne, medicinske fagfolk og forskningssamarbejdspartnere for deres dedikeret støtte. |
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HyperHand afslutter kliniske forsøg på VCR |
HYPERHAND |
Forestil dig at have meget svage eller lammede hænder – hvordan ville det påvirke din dagligdag? At række ud efter en flaske for at slukke sin tørst ville sandsynligvis være svært, hvis ikke umuligt, men dette er virkeligheden for brugere med svære lammelser. Oguzhan Kirtas, en forskningsassistent fra CRERoB, har udviklet HyperHand, en tunge-styret blød hånd-exoskelet handske designet til at hjælpe brugere med disse dagligdagsopgaver. Tidligere i år testede brugere med rygmarvsskade denne HyperHand på Vestdansk Center for Rygmarvsskade (VCR), og vi fik fin positiv feedback fra brugerne. Vi takker for deltagernes tid og indsats samt VCR-personalets hjælp med at rekruttere deltagere. |
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eMotivo modtager en Spin-Outs Denmark bevilling
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EMOTIVO |
For personer, der har haft et slagtilfælde, er det vigtigt at træne regelmæssigt for at genvinde kontrol over lammelse i lemmer. Hos CRERoB har vi udviklet eMotivo, et hjemme-rehabiliteringssystem, Som et hjælpemiddel til genoptræning af hånden. Tidligere i år modtog vores kolleger Kasper Leeskov og Mostafa Mohammadi en Spin-Outs Denmark bevilling for at have bragt eMotivo fra laboratorie til virkelighedens verden. Vi undersøger i øjeblikket, hvordan eMotivo påvirker motivationen til at træne hos slagtilfældepatienter i en klinisk undersøgelse, samt forbedrer systemets hardware og software. Vi takker for støtten fra Spin-Outs Denmark for at bringe eMotivo tættere på slutbrugerne.
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Nyt projekt: Rehabilitering for unge med cerebral parese |
CP PROJECT |
Ved Elsass Research Day i oktober 2024 havde professor Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk mulighed for at præsentere og diskutere CRERoB’s nye projekt rettet mod mennesker med cerebral parese. Projektet vil undersøge nye måder, hvorpå computerbaserede teknologier kan hjælpe med rehabilitering af børn og unge med cerebral parese. Denne indsats er finansieret af Elsass Fonden og er et samarbejde med klinisk professor Michael Gaihede fra Aalborg Universitetshospital og lektor Christian Wong. fra Rigshospitalet samt Oguzhan Kirtas der er deltidsansat på projektet. Vi takker for støtten til projektet.
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Klinisk brug af ROBERT-SAS |
ROBERT-SAS
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Kasper Leerskov fra CRERoB har arbejdet på det nye ”assister-efter-nødvendighed modul”, som er et banebrydende robotrehabiliteringssystem, hvor Prof. Lotte Andreasen Struijk har været er leder på moduludviklingen og samarbejdet med kolleger fra AAU, RRD og University of Twente. Systemet kan anskaffes fra samarbejdspartneren Life Science Robotics og består af en robotmanipulator ROBERT® med EMG-udløst funktionel elektrisk stimulation (FES) til at støtte tidlig rehabilitering af underekstremiteterne, og markerer et betydeligt fremskridt indenfor assistér-efter-behov – princippet i relation til slagtilfælde rehabiliteringsterapier. “Kombinationen af vores robotteknologi og elektrisk stimulation er unik og tilbyder helt nye muligheder for tidlig, mere effektiv og dokumenterbar rehabilitering til selv de hårdest ramte slagtilfældepatienter,” siger Keld Thorsen, CEO for Life Science Robotics.
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Efter en vellykket teknisk test på ti raske deltagere, viste systemet lovende resultater i kliniske forsøg med slagtilfældepatienter. Dette muliggør mange øvelser og udnyttelse af patienternes resterende evner. Både SAS-modulet og rehabiliteringsrobotten Robert er allerede taget i brug hos RehabMobility, Viborg, og Helena Rosenberg, ejer og neurofysioterapeut hos RehabMobility, siger: “Med SAS (Sensing and Stimulating) modulet kan vi kombinere den intensive træning i Robert med funktionel elektronisk stimulation af præcis de muskelgrupper, vi ønsker at træne, og det har vi ikke haft mulighed for før. Dette betyder, at vi kan tilbyde vores klienter endnu hurtigere og bedre rehabilitering.” Robert SAS bruges også internationalt og er aktivt taget i brug i både Polen og Storbritannien
Som et resultat af dette projekt og samarbejde er der blevet publiceret tre tidsskriftsartikler fra CRERoB-medlemmer og deres samarbejdspartnere.
Links:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108839 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2024.104216 |
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Opstart af nyt ALS projekt
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ALS PROJECT
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I december 2024 starter vi det nye projekt om en ny tungebaseret metode til diagnosticering af ALS. Det er målet, at denne metode vil reducere den aktuelle diagnosetid, der i gennemsnit er mere end 1 år, og derved lette, at sygdommen kan behandles tidligere for at bremse udviklingen. Bevillingen tildeles af Den Frie Forskningsfond Danmark til CRERoB leder, professor Lotte N. S. Andreasen Struijk i samarbejde med klinisk professor Jacob Blicher og klinisk associeret porfessor Izabella Obal. Yderligere vil der være samarbejde med Scott MacKenzie fra York University, Toronto, Canada. CRERoB-medlem Ásgerdur vil blive ansat på projektet. |
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VI ØNSKER JER ALLE EN GOD JUL OG ET GODT NYTÅR! |
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CRERoB Advances Rehabilitation Robotics Research with new Support from Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond |
The Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond has granted CRERoB 1.43 million EUR for, extending our research for another three years. Led by Professor Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk, this support fuels CRERoB’s mission to advance rehabilitation robotics, exoskeletons, and innovative assistive technologies benefiting individuals with neurological conditions such as ALS, SCI, stroke, and CP. This cross-faculty collaboration at Aalborg University, alongside Aalborg University Hospital and supported by an excellent team of co-applicants and clinical partners, will keep improving and advancing health science and technologies aiming for new useful solutions for the users facing functional challenges in their everyday life. Our sincere gratitude to Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond for making this future possible. The list of collaborators is available on CRERoB’s vbn: https://vbn.aau.dk/da/organisations/center-for-rehabilitation-robotics |
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Meeting users with ALS and researchers at Nordic ALS Conference |
It’s not every conference where young researchers can meet all three - experienced people living with ALS, clinicians within ALS and scientists, but that was exactly the premise of Nordic ALS conference 2024 in Korsør, organized by Professor Jakob Blicher’s team and Muskelsvindfonden and supported by Louis-Hansen Fonden. Among talks from brilliant German, Swedish, Norwegian, Belgian and Danish scientists was also a talk from Prof. Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk, who presented the scientific advances in assistive robotics for ALS coming out of CRERoB. After the main talks, young scientists presented their research to the interested people living with ALS. Among the young scientists was a PhD student from our research group, Dávid Gulyás, who received valuable input and feedback critical for his research. We’re thankful we could partake in this valuable and fruitful event.
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CRERoB at EMBC 2025: A Must-Attend Event for Researchers, Clinicians, and Industry |
We’re excited to announce that CRERoB will be represented at the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society in Copenhagen 2025 (EMBC 2025), with Professor Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk serving on the organizing committee.
EMBC, the flagship event of IEEE EMBS, is renowned for bringing together leaders in biomedical engineering and 2000 participants are expected. This year’s program will feature topics relevant to researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals, including Robotics, Biomechanics, Assistive and Augmentive Technologies. The conference also has an exhibition area showcasing cutting-edge innovations from leading companies. Whether you’re in academia, healthcare, or industry, EMBC 2025 offers unparalleled opportunities for knowledge sharing and networking. A fair for companies within Health is integrated.Learn more at about the conference here: https://embc.embs.org/2025/ . We hope to see you there! |
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New PhD student Dávid Gulyás joins CRERoB |
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How does one communicate when completely paralyzed?Technology aids for communication by locked-in individuals has been a widely researched topic, but as available systems for the users, they are uncommon. CRERoB’s new PhD student, Dávid Gulyás, who joined the research group in August, aims to develop more accessible communication systems for people in the late stages of ALS. Dávid recently completed his Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and Informatics and brings experience with Brain-Computer Interface systems to this effort. |
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CREROB Hosts NAD PhD Fellows for an Inspiring Day of Innovation |
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CREROB hosted PhD fellows from Neuroscience Academy Denmark (NAD) for an inspiring day of knowledge exchange and hands-on demos in January 2024. The fellows explored our latest projects, including the home training system for hand function: eMotivo, a noninvasive inductive tongue-computer interface, and hybrid Brain-Computer Interfaces, while experiencing the EXOTIC exoskeleton wearable firsthand. It was an honor to share our vision with a group equally passionate about neuroscience and technology. Engaging discussions and live demonstrations provided the NAD visitors a unique look into our research in neurorehabilitation technology, sparking insightful conversations and enthusiasm for future innovation. |
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Collaborative visit at Imperial College London
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A rewarding aspect of PhD research is the chance to collaborate with international labs. In May, Ana Sofia Cardoso from CRERoB visited Prof. Dario Farina's lab at Imperial College London for a week. During her stay, Sofia installed and showcased CRERoB’s tongue-control interface and software simulation of EXOTIC arm, while seeing the lab’s Quattrocento high-density surface EMG amplifier and ultrasound-based control system in action. We’re grateful for Professor Dario Farina’s warm welcome and look forward to future collaborations. |
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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS |
Follow us on LinkedIn for regular updates on our projects. |
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EXOTIC Exoskeleton: Evaluating with users with ALS and SCI |
EXOTIC2 |
Exoskeletons play a critical role in improving the mobility and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injury or ALS, conditions that severely limit movement and independence. The EXOTIC exoskeleton, from CRERoB, integrates a novel non-invasive tongue control Interface, a brain control interface, a muscle control Interface, and computer vision-based control to assist users in their activities of daily living. After initial testing on healthy participants to refine the system, we moved to clinical trials, first with users with ALS at Aalborg University (as seen in the image above) and later with users with SCI at the Vestdansk Center for Rygmarvsskade (VCR), Viborg. The invaluable feedback we received from both groups has been crucial in improving the system’s performance and adaptability. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the participants, medical professionals, and research collaborators for their dedicated support. |
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HyperHand completes clinical trials at VCR |
HYPERHAND |
Imagine having very weak or paralyzed hands – how would it impact your daily life? Reaching for a bottle to get something to drink would probably be difficult, if not impossible, but this is the reality that users with severe paralysis face. Oguzhan Kirtas, a research assistant from CRERoB has been developing HyperHand, a tongue-controlled soft hand exoskeleton glove designed to aid users in these daily tasks. Earlier this year, spinal cord injured users took part in testing of HyperHand at The Spinal Cord Injury Centre of Western Denmark (VCR) and we were happy to hear their positive feedback. We are grateful for participants’ time and effort, as well as the VCR staff’s help in recruiting participants. |
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eMotivo receives a Spin-Outs Denmark grant
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EMOTIVO |
For individuals who have suffered a stroke, it is important to exercise regularly to recover control of paralyzed limbs. At CRERoB, we developed eMotivo, an at-home rehabilitation system, to support this recovery of the hand. Earlier this year, our colleagues Kasper Leeskov and Mostafa Mohammadi received a Spin-Outs Denmark grant to bring eMotivo from the research lab to real-world application. We are currently investigating how eMotivo influences stroke patients’ motivation to exercise in a clinical study, as well as improving the system’s hardware and software. We are thankful for the support from Spin-Outs Denmark in bringing eMotivo closer to the end users. |
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Rehabilitation for young people with Cerebral Palsy
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CP PROJECT |
During Elsass Research Day in October 2024, Prof. Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk had the opportunity to present and discuss CRERoB’s new project aimed at people with Cerebral Palsy. The project will investigate new ways in which computer-based technologies can aid in rehabilitation of children and young people with Cerebral Palsy. This effort is funded by Elsass Fonden and is a collaboration with Clinical Prof. Michael Gaihede from Aalborg University Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor Christian Wong from Rigshospitalet and Oguzhan Kirtas is employed parttime in the project. We’re grateful for the support of the project.
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Clinical use of ROBERT-SAS |
ROBERT-SAS
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CRERoB member Kasper Leerskov has been working on the new assist as needed module of a pioneering robotic rehabilitation system with Prof. Lotte Andreasen Struijk leading this development, and with collaboration with collegues at AAU, RRD and University of Twente as listed here. The system is available from the industrial collaborator Life Science Robotics and consists of the robotic manipulator ROBERT® with EMG-triggered functional electrical stimulation (FES) to support early lower limb rehabilitation. It marks a significant step forward in assist-as-needed stroke recovery therapies. "The combination of our robotic technology and electrical stimulation is unique and offers completely new opportunities to offer early, more effective and documentable rehabilitation to even the hardest hit stroke patients” says Keld Thorsen, who is the CEO of Life Science Robotics. |
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After successful technical testing on ten able-bodied participants, the system showed promising results in clinical tests with stroke patients, enabling high-repetition exercises and leveraging patients' residual abilities. The SAS module together with the rehabilitation robot Robert is already in use in RehabMobility, Viborg and Helena Rosenberg, the owner of and neurophysiotherapist at RehabMobility says: "With the SAS (Sensing and Stimulating) module, we can combine the intensive training in Robert with functional electronic stimulation of exactly the muscle groups that we want to train, and we have not had the opportunity to do that before. This means that we can offer our clients even faster and better rehabilitation and rehabilitation." Robert SAS is also being used internationally, with active adoption in both Poland and the United Kingdom.Three journal articles from CREROB members and collaborators are available as an outcome of this project and collaboration.
Links:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108839 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2024.104216 |
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Startup of new ALS project
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ALS PROJECT
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In December 2024 we are starting up a new project about a new tongue-based method for diagnosing ALS. It is the aim that this method will reduce the current time for diagnosis which in average is more than 1 year, and thereby facilitate that the disease can be treated earlier to slow down the progression. The grant is awarded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark to CRERoB head, Professor Lotte N. S. Andreasen Struijk in collaboration with Clinical Professor Jacob Blicher and Clinical Associate Professor Izabella Obal. Further, there will be a collaboration with Scott MacKenzie from York University, Toronto, Canada. CRERoB member Ásgerdur will be employed on the project. |
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Check out our recent publications on the center's VBN page
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WE WISH YOU ALL HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! |
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