Скачать или смотреть Robotics & Occupational Therapy, Kristin Nuckols, OTD, MOT, OTR, Stroke Buddies 128

Revolutionary Soft Robotics: The Future of Stroke Recovery is Wearable and Home-Based

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In this video, we welcome Dr. Kristin Nuckols, an occupational therapist with 18 years of stroke rehab experience who developed soft robotic rehabilitation devices at Harvard and co-founded Imago Rehab.

She explains how innovative fabric-based robotics and telehealth approaches are changing stroke recovery, allowing for high-intensity practice at home. Learn how these comfortable wearable devices help patients regain hand and arm function through active engagement rather than passive movement—potentially revolutionizing stroke rehabilitation.

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Time Stamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Dr. Kristin Nuckols and her work in stroke rehabilitation robotics
03:25 - Traditional stroke therapy vs. high-intensity approaches and their effectiveness
08:40 - Introduction to soft robotics as wearable, fabric-based rehabilitation devices
12:15 - The soft robotic glove for hand function and how it works
17:30 - Research studies showing improvements in hand function and range of motion
23:00 - The soft robotic shirt for arm support and movement assistance
29:10 - Active vs. passive movement - why patient engagement is critical for recovery
33:45 - The challenges of bringing rehabilitation technologies from lab to market
36:20 - Imago Rehab's telehealth therapy services and insurance coverage
39:30 - Patient success stories showing functional improvements years post-stroke

Dr. Kristin Nuckols shares her journey developing rehabilitation robotics for stroke recovery.

Traditional therapy offers minimal improvement (0-2 points on assessment scales) with low repetition, while high-intensity practice (hundreds of repetitions) shows significant gains but is difficult to implement clinically. Soft robotics represents an innovation—fabric-based devices with inflatable chambers that comfortably assist movement.

Her team developed a glove that helps open fingers and a shirt that supports arm movement, both designed for home use.

During COVID, they shifted to telehealth delivery, proving highly effective. Rehabilitation requires active patient engagement, gradually reducing assistance as function improves. Despite the typical 17-year timeline from research to clinical practice, Imago Rehab now offers telehealth therapy across multiple states, accepting Medicare and various insurance plans.

Patient success stories demonstrate significant functional improvements even years post-stroke through task-oriented therapy rather than rote exercises.

Kristin Nuckols, OTD, MOT, OTR
Co-Founder, Chief Clinical Officer
Imago Rehab, Inc

Contact email: [email protected]
Linked In:   / kristin-nuckols  
Website: https://www.imagorehab.com
Harvard lab site: https://biodesign.seas.harvard.edu/

Bio: 2024 Winner of the Innovation Award from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. Cofounder and Chief Clinical Officer of Imago Rehab. An occupational therapist for 18 years, she led stroke-specialty teams in the hospital setting, then worked as a Harvard University researcher on patented soft robotic wearable technology now owned by Imago Rehab. Her post-professional doctoral thesis is the basis for Imago's proprietary clinical protocol, allowing our therapists to achieve 5X+ motor and functional gains in the chronic stroke population compared to traditional in-person care, all done from the comforts of our patients' homes.

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