BBC NEWS In Depth Boston 2002 Positive results for robot therapy

Scientists pioneering research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston believe stroke victims could see movement improve by up to 15%. The team hopes to develop the robot therapy so it can help the patients regain movement in their hands and wrists, allowing them to perform tasks, such as opening jars, which are often impossible for many stroke victims. At the moment, all patients will do exercises under the instruction of a human physiotherapist to help them regain the use of limbs paralysed by a stroke. However, the response to traditional treatment can sometimes be quite poor. In the US treatment, a patient puts their hand on a robotic joystick, and is repeatedly guided through a series of movements by prompts from a "game" on a video screen.