Introduction: Robotic or sensory-assisted technology in conjunction with virtual reality
represents one of the most promising complementary therapies to improve motor and
cognitive abilities after a stroke. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to determine the
effectiveness of the Bimeo device on motor and cognitive abilities after stroke. Methods of
work: 24 participans who suffered a stroke, were involved in the experimental study. They
were divided into two groups: group A with 12 participans who were included in
conventional therapy and therapy with the Bimeo device, and group B (control group), with
12 participans who received only conventional therapy. Therapy lasted for 10 days in both
groups. Criteria for inclusion were: unilateral hemiparesis with partially preserved active
mobility of the upper limb, ability to understand verbal instructions and the absence of severe
cognitive impairment, and absence of severe visual or hearing impairment. In addition to the
usual therapy, group A performed three tasks on the Bimeo device every day: reaching,
tracking and maze for five minutes for each task, and additional games of the individual's
choice for 10-15 minutes. The quality and progress of the movement were measured with
physical parameters recorded by the Bimeo device. The following were used to clinically
assess upper limb function: Blocks and Box, FMA-UE, and the Arat test, and the TSS test,
which was used to measure cognition improvement. Results: The results of the study
showed that participans of group A improved better progress than participans of group B.
Thus, the results of the research showed that the Bimeo device improves the motor functions
of the affected upper limb and that it also minimally improves the cognitive abilities of the
individual. Discussion and conclusion: A ten-day routine treatment with added therapy
supported by robotic technology - Bimeo device, is a suitable form of treatment to improve
the functions of the damaged upper limb and improve the cognitive abilities of stroke
participans with similar cognitive and motor skills as participans in our study. We must
emphasize that the therapy on the Bimeo device is excellent as aditional training to
conventional occupational therapy and not a substitute for it.
Key words: hemiparesis, occupational therapy, robotic technology, Bimeo, upper limb
function
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