Special Sessions

Abstract: Soft robotics offers transformative potential for assistive devices by enabling lightweight, compliant, and user-adaptive systems that align with human biomechanics. This special session brings together leading experts in system design, biosignal-based control, and clinical evaluation to address the translational challenges of wearable soft robotic technologies. While soft actuators and textile interfaces have demonstrated safety and comfort advantages, their integration into clinically viable devices requires rigorous validation, robust control strategies, and standardized outcome metrics. The session will explore recent advances in material science, biosignal interpretation, and adaptive control, alongside clinical perspectives on usability, adherence, and trial design. Speakers will present interdisciplinary approaches that bridge engineering innovation with patient-centered rehabilitation goals. Through moderated discussion and interactive polling, the session aims to identify key barriers for clinical transition, potential metrics for evaluation, and regulatory alignment. By fostering dialogue across technical and clinical domains, this session will accelerate the deployment of soft robotic assistive devices.

Topics of interest:

1. Design and Fabrication of Soft Actuators for Wearable Assistive Devices
Focus on textile integration, durability, and scalable manufacturing.
2. Biosignal-Based Control and Intention Detection for Soft Robots
EMG, EEG, IMU based control especially for soft systems.
3. Human–Robot Interaction and Ergonomic Integration
Comfort, usability, and safety in wearable applications.
4. Clinical Evaluation and Outcome Metrics
Standardized protocols, functional benchmarks, and patient-centered endpoints.
5. Translational Pathways and Regulatory Challenges
From lab prototypes to certified medical devices

Abstract: Wearable sensors have emerged as transformative tools in clinical care and neurorehabilitation. Modern systems are wireless, multimodal, and minimally obtrusive, capable of continuously capturing a rich spectrum of physiological and functional data. Yet, a persistent challenge remains in translating these data into actionable clinical insights and interventions.

This Special Session addresses that translational gap, showcasing how multimodal sensing, advanced signal processing, artificial intelligence, and human-centered design can converge to drive personalized and responsive rehabilitation strategies. Speakers will present recent advances in soft, biointegrated sensors that monitor neural, muscular, and kinematic activity with clinical-grade fidelity, as well as data-driven algorithms that quantify motor recovery, estimate joint torque, and inform adaptive robotic control or biofeedback interventions.

Applications include detecting and mitigating impairments such as freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease, quantifying propulsion deficits after stroke, and developing closed-loop systems that dynamically adjust assistance based on sensor-derived intent or performance. Collectively, these talks will demonstrate the evolution of wearable sensors from passive measurement tools into active enablers of neurorehabilitation—closing the loop between sensing, interpretation, and intervention.

Abstract: Postural control is fundamental to human motor function, and its disruption can hinder essential movements such as reaching, sitting, standing, and walking. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major contributor to sensorimotor impairments in adults, frequently leading to difficulties with balance. Damage from TBI affects the brain’s white matter networks, diminishing its capacity to regulate balance and coordinate movement. It also disrupts the central nervous system’s ability to effectively integrate sensory information during motor control, further worsening balance and postural stability issues. Similarly, stroke survivors commonly experience postural instability and impaired gait symmetry, which significantly affect mobility and independence. In children, particularly those with cerebral palsy (CP), postural control deficits severely limit core motor activities such as sitting and walking. These children frequently exhibit poor trunk stability and excessive mediolateral (side-to-side) trunk motion during gait. Reducing this excessive movement should be a primary goal of interventions aimed at improving trunk postural control. This session will explore innovative rehabilitation strategies developed to enhance postural control in individuals with TBI, stroke, and children with CP.

Topics of interest:

1. Postural control and balance in TBI
2. Perturbation based intervention
3. Dynamic balance during gait in stroke survivors
4. Trunk postural control during gait in children with CP

Abstract: Rapid population aging and the widening gap in care resources, particularly in rural and underserved regions, are accelerating demands for scalable rehabilitation and mobility-support technologies. Robotics and AI have emerged as essential tools to address these challenges by enabling continuous assessment, personalized intervention, and safe physical assistance for older adults. This session focuses on recent advances in intelligent rehabilitation systems and assistive robotic platforms spanning mobile manipulators, adaptive balance-training robots, soft wearable actuation, and AI-based human-motion analysis.

The session will highlight technologies that integrate multi-modal sensing, human–robot interaction modeling, and closed-loop adaptive control to deliver individualized motor assistance and training. Examples include mobile manipulator–type haptic interfaces for gait guidance, performance-based robotic balance training for chronic stroke, arm-leg coordinated exosuits for mobility augmentation, and clothing-type soft wearable robots driven by artificial muscle fibers. The session also features data-centric approaches that leverage human kinematics, kinetics, and computational biomechanics for early detection of age-related functional decline such as sarcopenia.

Collectively, these talks illustrate how next-generation rehabilitation robotics can support safer, more autonomous, and more dignified aging by bridging clinical rehabilitation with community and home-based care. Through technical depth and translational insights, the session aims to outline a roadmap for intelligent senior-care solutions grounded in robotics, sensing, machine learning, and personalized motor-assistance strategies.

Topics of interest:

1. Rehabilitation robot for senior health care
2. Assistive robot for mobility of senior citizens
3. New technologies for monitoring senior citizens

Abstract: Wearable robots are becoming increasingly capable of working in harmony with the human body, detecting movement intent, providing adaptive assistance, and supporting recovery. As these technologies evolve, the research focus is moving beyond mechanical design and actuation toward understanding how humans and robots communicate, coordinate, and learn from each other during rehabilitation. This special session highlights emerging approaches that bridge human intention, sensory perception, and assistive control, with the shared goal of making wearable robotics more intuitive, effective, and suitable for use in real-world rehabilitation settings. Decoding human intention is central to achieving smooth and responsive interaction. Advances in electromyographic sensing, biomechanical modeling, and human-in- the-loop control now allow robots to recognize user goals and effort in real time, enabling individualized and context-aware assistance. At the same time, investigations into perception and sensory information, such as the effects of kinesthetic illusion or visual cues, shed light on how users interpret and adapt to robotic support. Complementary studies on assistive strategies, including coaching-based feedback and pneumatic exosuits, demonstrate how wearable robots can influence biomechanics, engagement, and functional task performance. Together, these perspectives provide a comprehensive picture of human robot coordination in wearable rehabilitation. They illustrate how understanding the interaction between perception, intention, and assistance can inform the design of systems that move naturally with their users and enhance recovery beyond controlled laboratory environments. Through the theme From Lab to Life, this session aims to connect fundamental research with practical application, showing how wearable robots can evolve into responsive, human-centered tools that extend rehabilitation into everyday movement and empower people in their recovery journey.

Topics of interest:

1. Perception and Sensorimotor Integration
2. Intention Estimation and Human–Robot Coordination
3. Integrated Rehabilitation Systems
4. Assistive Strategies in Rehabilitation Robots
5. Applications and Evaluation in Rehabilitation

Abstract: After neurological injuries such as stroke, individuals often experience sensorimotor impairments. Intensive neurorehabilitation, both in clinical settings and continuing after discharge, is essential to promote functional recovery. Robot-mediated therapies hold great promise by enabling the delivery of high-quality therapy across the entire continuum of care. Previous research has demonstrated the non-inferiority of such therapies compared to conventional in-clinic treatment. Moreover, robotic rehabilitation offers the potential to overcome key limitations of standard outpatient care, particularly the typically low training dose. However, access to these robotic therapies remains limited, and the social and collaborative aspects of traditional one-on-one sessions with a therapist are often missing. This lack of human interaction can lead to feelings of social isolation among patients, especially those who are more home-bound. More recently, hospitals have encouraged home-based rehabilitation, not only as a form of care beyond the hospital wall, but also to allow continuous therapy at one’s home that improves outcomes. By shifting the provision of high-quality, robot-mediated therapy to decentralized settings, such as patients’ homes, access to care and overall therapy dosage can be substantially increased. At the same time, integrating advanced algorithms and conversational agents into the training routines could reintroduce a “human touch,” helping to mitigate social isolation and enhance patient engagement. In this special session, we aim to explore how collaborative robotics will shape the future of neurorehabilitation. Together with leading international experts in rehabilitation robotics, we will discuss innovative approaches that push the boundaries of how robots can be used to deliver therapy, promote motor learning, and enhance patient outcomes

Topics of interest:

1. Rehabilitation robotics
2. Motor learning and control
3. Human – human interaction
4. Conversational agents

Abstract: Neurorehabilitation faces many open challenges due to the increasing number of neurological patients, the limited number of healthcare professionals, and the rising healthcare costs, which ultimately impact access to quality therapy. Technology-based solutions have significant potential to enable a paradigm shift in neurorehabilitation models, which remain heavily reliant on hospital stays and visits. In this session, we will review recent developments and clinical evaluations of technology-based solutions to support upper limb neurorehabilitation along the continuum of care – from the hospital bedside to the patients’ homes. Building on the successful workshop held at ICNR 2024, we will highlight and discuss current progress in ongoing trials investigating the use of different technologies for unsupervised home-based therapy (e.g., robotics, exoskeletons, and sensor-based systems). A particular focus will be placed on current initiatives aimed at enabling the sustainable delivery of high-dose, high-intensity therapy along the continuum of care. By bringing together technology developers and clinical experts, this session will identify key enablers and remaining challenges influencing the development, clinical adoption, and acceptance of neurorehabilitation technologies among clinicians, patients, and policymakers.

Topics of interest:

1. Technology-assisted therapy at home
2. Home rehabilitation
3. Robotics and virtual reality
4. Self-directed therapy
5. Unsupervised therapy
6. Continuum of care
7. High-dose, high-intensity therapy
8. Telerehabilitation and monitoring

Abstract: Neurorehabilitation faces many open challenges due to the increasing number of neurological patients, the limited number of healthcare professionals, and the rising healthcare costs, which ultimately impact access to quality therapy. Technology-based solutions have significant potential to enable a paradigm shift in neurorehabilitation models, which remain heavily reliant on hospital stays and visits. In this session, we will review recent developments and clinical evaluations of technology-based solutions to support upper limb neurorehabilitation along the continuum of care – from the hospital bedside to the patients’ homes. Building on the successful workshop held at ICNR 2024, we will highlight and discuss current progress in ongoing trials investigating the use of different technologies for unsupervised home-based therapy (e.g., robotics, exoskeletons, and sensor-based systems). A particular focus will be placed on current initiatives aimed at enabling the sustainable delivery of high-dose, high-intensity therapy along the continuum of care. By bringing together technology developers and clinical experts, this session will identify key enablers and remaining challenges influencing the development, clinical adoption, and acceptance of neurorehabilitation technologies among clinicians, patients, and policymakers.

Topics of interest:

1. Rehabilitation robotics
2. Motor learning and control
3. Human – human interaction
4. Conversational agents

Abstract: In recent years, robotics has opened new perspectives for neurorehabilitation, yet most current systems tend to isolate the patient from the therapist’s intuitive and adaptive touch. The concept of Robot-mediated physical Human–Human Interaction (RHHI) offers a different view: instead of replacing the therapist, the robot acts as a transparent bridge that allows two people to interact physically while maintaining precise, measurable control. This approach combines the therapist’s expertise, human adaptability, and robotic consistency to enrich motor learning, engagement, and clinical assessment. The session will present ongoing research, clinical studies and applications of RHHI in gait, balance, and upper-limb training, discuss how these technologies may reshape therapist roles and care models, and explore pathways for broader translation—from hospitals to homes and community settings. By emphasizing human partnership rather than automation, RHHI defines a more connected and scalable future for rehabilitation.

Topics of interest:

1. Clinical translation of RHHI: lessons from early pilot trials in stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
2. Integration into conventional therapy: combining robotic assistance with therapist-guided physical interaction.
3. Motor learning and adaptability: mechanisms driving skill transfer and recovery when humans are physically coupled through robots.
4. Therapist workload and ergonomics: how RHHI may reduce fatigue while preserving personalized care.
5. Data-driven assessment and feedback: simultaneous measurement of therapist and patient kinematics and forces.
6. Technological design and control: transparency, safety, impedance modulation, and networked multi-user setups.
7. Remote and home-based RHHI: opportunities for telerehabilitation and continuity of care.
8. Group and social rehabilitation: multi-user frameworks that enhance motivation, competition, and cooperation.
9. Education and training: preparing clinicians, engineers, and caregivers for interactive robot-mediated therapy.
10. Regulatory, legal, and ethical considerations: privacy, safety certification, liability, and equitable access.
11. Future research directions: exploring neurophysiological mechanisms, personalization, and health technology assessment.

Abstract: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year, and over 100 million live with its long-term consequences (World Stroke
Organization, WSO). Beyond its high mortality, stroke remains the leading cause of long-term disability, often resulting in severe motor impairments that compromise mobility and independence. Among these, walking recovery is one of the primary goals of rehabilitation, as regaining gait function is essential for autonomy and quality of life.

Neurorehabilitation depends on the brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity, which can be enhanced through innovative motor learning-based approaches that combine neuroscience, engineering, and clinical practice. This special session will explore neuroprosthesis and advanced technological methods for robot-mediated rehabilitation, aiming to restore motor function and improve patient outcomes, with a particular emphasis on lower-limb recovery and walking restoration after stroke. The session will cover a range of different approaches, including task-specific training, EEG- and EMG methods to quantify neuroplasticity, integration of physiological signals in control loop, adaptive control algorithms, and optimal feedback strategies.

Topics will also include machine learning for signal interpretation, robotics for assistive and
rehabilitative applications, and clinical perspectives on implementing these technologies. By bridging
neuroscience, motor learning, and technology, the session aims to advance more effective and
individualized neurorehabilitation strategies to restore walking ability after stroke.

Topics of interest:

1. Neuroprosthetic systems for motor recovery
2. EEG- and EMG-based measure to quantify neuroplasticity
3. Physiological signals, such as High Density EMG, for assessment and control during robot-mediated rehabilitation
4. Adaptive and personalized control strategies for robotic rehabilitation
5. Brain-Body Computer Interfaces
6. Clinical applications of robotics in neurorehabilitation

Abstract: We invite participants to a comprehensive workshop focused on the integration of modern technologies in post-stroke rehabilitation. Stroke remains the leading cause of disability and dependence, highlighting the critical need for innovative therapeutic strategies. Recent advancements in technology—such as exoskeletons, movement analysis, 3D printing, virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI)—have demonstrated promising potential to enhance recovery outcomes beyond traditional approaches.

This workshop will review the adaptation of these cutting-edge tools and explore their impact on neural plasticity in post-stroke patients. We will present evidence supporting exoskeleton-based robotic therapy, particularly for hemiparesis-induced immobilization, emphasizing the current uncertainties regarding optimal therapy duration and frequency. A summarized analysis of existing literature on robotic gait therapy and neuroplasticity-guided training protocols will be provided, alongside proposals for personalized therapy optimization.

One key focus will be introducing an innovative exoskeleton testing method that incorporates feedback systems and personalized 3D-printed solutions, aiming to maximize comfort and efficacy. Additionally, we will showcase extended reality (XR) solutions tailored for both upper and lower limbs, designed to minimize discomfort and adapt to various clinical conditions. Real-time patient feedback and customizable elements will enhance individualized treatment, with interaction metrics delivered to clinicians for assessment.

Furthermore, the workshop will delve into a VR-based training system for upper limb hemiparesis, integrated with AI and camera-based technology capable of automatically tracking and evaluating task performance—specifically, a block transfer task—thus providing objective, quantitative data to guide therapy. We will discuss how balancing these technological, motor, cognitive, and psychological factors contributes to optimizing therapy duration and outcomes, ultimately advancing personalized, effective stroke rehabilitation.

Topics of interest:

1. Stroke
2. Neuroplasticity
3. Exoskeleton and robotic therapy
4. Virtual reality
5. Movement analysis
6. 3D printing

Abstract: Persons with mobility impairments due to stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), or other neurological disorders often experience significant upper (UE) and lower extremity (LE) deficits that persist even after rehabilitation. These limitations disrupt independence and the ability to perform essential daily activities such as standing, balancing, walking, eating, dressing, and reaching. Recovery of lost function, particularly following SCI or stroke relies heavily on neural adaptation through repetitive, task-specific training. Robotic exoskeletons and powered orthotic devices offer unique advantages for facilitating such training by: (1) providing long-duration, consistent, and controlled assistance; (2) reducing physical burden on patients and therapists; and (3) enabling standardized and repeatable neurorehabilitation interventions.

Objectives of this session are as follows:

• Present clinical and engineering outcomes associated with FDA-cleared and commercially available UE and LE robotic systems for individuals with SCI, stroke, and MS.
• Highlight detailed biomechanical analyses of exoskeleton-assisted gait, including human–robot interaction metrics, joint kinematics, and torque generation at the hip, knee, and ankle.
• Introduce a newly developed neural-network–based control architecture for lower limb rehabilitation exoskeletons (LLREs), demonstrating its performance across functional tasks such as squatting, sit-to-stand transitions, and overground walking.
• Provide evidence supporting the early integration of UE myoelectric-powered orthoses for individuals with acute SCI, emphasizing the potential for enhancing motor recovery trajectories.

Topics of interest:

1. Impact of advanced wearable orthotics and robotic exoskeletons on UE and LE functional restoration across SCI, stroke, and MS populations

2. Safety, efficacy, and feasibility of extended clinical and community use of robotic and orthotic devices.

3. Future directions for optimizing device design, controller development, and long-term implementation strategies.

4. Comparative insights into robotic control approaches and their applicability across varying levels of neurological impairment.