Effector force requirements to enable robotic systems to provide assisted exercise in people with upper limb impairment after stroke.

iPAM (intelligent Pneumatic Arm Movement) is a dual robotic system that aims to assist in the recovery of upper-limb movement in people with all severities of motor impairment after stroke. This paper presents effector force data gathered during the course of a pilot clinical study. It identifies the forces and workspace required to facilitate reach-retrieve exercises in a range of patients as part of rehabilitation treatments. These findings have been used in further refinements of the iPAM system.