Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

The integration of neural networks into robotic exoskeletons for physical rehabilitation has become popular due to their ability to interpret complex physiological signals. Surface electromyography (sEMG), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), and other physiological signals enable c...

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Main Authors: Nafizul Alam, Sk Hasan, Gazi Abdullah Mashud, Subodh Bhujel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Actuators
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/14/1/16
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author Nafizul Alam
Sk Hasan
Gazi Abdullah Mashud
Subodh Bhujel
author_facet Nafizul Alam
Sk Hasan
Gazi Abdullah Mashud
Subodh Bhujel
author_sort Nafizul Alam
collection DOAJ
description The integration of neural networks into robotic exoskeletons for physical rehabilitation has become popular due to their ability to interpret complex physiological signals. Surface electromyography (sEMG), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), and other physiological signals enable communication between the human body and robotic systems. Utilizing physiological signals for communicating with robots plays a crucial role in robot-assisted neurorehabilitation. This systematic review synthesizes 44 peer-reviewed studies, exploring how neural networks can improve exoskeleton robot-assisted rehabilitation for individuals with impaired upper limbs. By categorizing the studies based on robot-assisted joints, sensor systems, and control methodologies, we offer a comprehensive overview of neural network applications in this field. Our findings demonstrate that neural networks, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBFNNs), and other forms of neural networks significantly contribute to patient-specific rehabilitation by enabling adaptive learning and personalized therapy. CNNs improve motion intention estimation and control accuracy, while LSTM networks capture temporal muscle activity patterns for real-time rehabilitation. RBFNNs improve human–robot interaction by adapting to individual movement patterns, leading to more personalized and efficient therapy. This review highlights the potential of neural networks to revolutionize upper limb rehabilitation, improving motor recovery and patient outcomes in both clinical and home-based settings. It also recommends the future direction of customizing existing neural networks for robot-assisted rehabilitation applications.
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spelling doaj-art-ba92350835cb4e3a80a5c96f883bfb872025-01-24T13:15:10ZengMDPI AGActuators2076-08252025-01-011411610.3390/act14010016Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic ReviewNafizul Alam0Sk Hasan1Gazi Abdullah Mashud2Subodh Bhujel3Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USADepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USADepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USADepartment of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USAThe integration of neural networks into robotic exoskeletons for physical rehabilitation has become popular due to their ability to interpret complex physiological signals. Surface electromyography (sEMG), electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), and other physiological signals enable communication between the human body and robotic systems. Utilizing physiological signals for communicating with robots plays a crucial role in robot-assisted neurorehabilitation. This systematic review synthesizes 44 peer-reviewed studies, exploring how neural networks can improve exoskeleton robot-assisted rehabilitation for individuals with impaired upper limbs. By categorizing the studies based on robot-assisted joints, sensor systems, and control methodologies, we offer a comprehensive overview of neural network applications in this field. Our findings demonstrate that neural networks, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Radial Basis Function Neural Networks (RBFNNs), and other forms of neural networks significantly contribute to patient-specific rehabilitation by enabling adaptive learning and personalized therapy. CNNs improve motion intention estimation and control accuracy, while LSTM networks capture temporal muscle activity patterns for real-time rehabilitation. RBFNNs improve human–robot interaction by adapting to individual movement patterns, leading to more personalized and efficient therapy. This review highlights the potential of neural networks to revolutionize upper limb rehabilitation, improving motor recovery and patient outcomes in both clinical and home-based settings. It also recommends the future direction of customizing existing neural networks for robot-assisted rehabilitation applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/14/1/16CNNRNNLSTMsEMGRBFNNfuzzy and deep neural networks
spellingShingle Nafizul Alam
Sk Hasan
Gazi Abdullah Mashud
Subodh Bhujel
Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
Actuators
CNN
RNN
LSTM
sEMG
RBFNN
fuzzy and deep neural networks
title Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
title_full Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
title_fullStr Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
title_full_unstemmed Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
title_short Neural Network for Enhancing Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
title_sort neural network for enhancing robot assisted rehabilitation a systematic review
topic CNN
RNN
LSTM
sEMG
RBFNN
fuzzy and deep neural networks
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/14/1/16
work_keys_str_mv AT nafizulalam neuralnetworkforenhancingrobotassistedrehabilitationasystematicreview
AT skhasan neuralnetworkforenhancingrobotassistedrehabilitationasystematicreview
AT gaziabdullahmashud neuralnetworkforenhancingrobotassistedrehabilitationasystematicreview
AT subodhbhujel neuralnetworkforenhancingrobotassistedrehabilitationasystematicreview