SMART joysticks could soon be helping stroke victims regain control of their
limbs, say researchers in Massachusetts.
Over half a million Americans suffer strokes every year and nearly half of
them survive with some kind of disability, which means they need several months
of physiotherapy to help them recover some limb control. But the emphasis is
usually on teaching people to compensate for their disability, rather than
retraining a disabled limb. Retraining is more time-consuming and tiring for the
therapists, who have to detect tiny movements and move heavy limbs around in
response.
“A therapist cannot and doesn’t want to do this hundreds of times a…
