Robotic technology (ROBERT®) to enhance muscle strength in the hip flexor muscles following spinal cord injury: a feasibility study

This study explores whether a robotic device, ROBERT®, can help people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) to increase the strength of their hip flexor muscles. The device assists in moving the leg and can be adjusted to provide more or less support as the person gets stronger. The study focused on how well people accepted the device and whether it was practical to use in a rehabilitation setting. The results showed that the ROBERT® was feasible and acceptable for participants, who saw it as a helpful addition to their regular physiotherapy, though recruitment was slow.

• 1
  The ROBERT® was found to be a feasible and acceptable intervention for increasing strength in hip flexor muscles following SCI, with participants viewing it as a useful addition to standard physiotherapy.
• 2
  Participants were able to adhere to the training protocol of 60 hip flexions three times a week for four weeks, with a high adherence rate (92%) and no adverse events.
• 3
  Recruitment was slow, with a rate of 8% of first-time admissions, highlighting the need for a multi-center trial to achieve adequate sample sizes in future studies.