How Tampa General is using AI to rehab stroke patients

Ohhh! A shiny new thing, but still nothing on how to get 100% recovered. Great distraction though!

How Tampa General is using AI to rehab stroke patients

Artificial intelligence device figures out what patients are struggling with and tailors their rehab needs.

Shannon Watkins, 42, of Gibsonton, center, uses BIONIK Lab’s InMotion ARM as part of her recovery regimen at Tampa General Hospital's rehabilitation facility on W. Kennedy Boulevard. The device uses artificial intelligence to detect gaps in a patient's motor skills. Watkins suffered a stroke earlier this month that limited movement in the left side of her body. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]

By

• Christopher O'DonnellTimes staff

Published Earlier today

TAMPA — Joined to the mechanical arm at the wrist and elbow, Shannon Watkins fixes her gaze on the screen in front of her.

The mechanical limb responds to every movement of her left arm as the software prompts her to control a pointer on the screen through even more complex motions. Sitting with her at the computer in Tampa General Hospital’s rehabilitation facility on Kennedy Boulevard, Samantha Rubio tracks her patient’s progress.

“I think the robot is helping a little bit at the end because you don’t have that full range of motion,” Rubio, the occupational therapist, gently tells Watkins.

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It’s been less than two weeks since Watkins suffered a stroke while running the balloon darts booth at a fairground in Oldsmar.

The 42-year-old, who lives on the road with a traveling fair most of the year, lost strength and dexterity in her left side, a common stroke effect.

A key part of her rehabilitation regimen is hourlong sessions strapped to the BIONIK InMotion ARM/HAND robotic device. The technology, comprised of the mechanical arm connected to a computer console, uses artificial intelligence to help retrain patients’ motor skills. It can be used to treat loss of mobility from strokes as well as spinal cord and brain injuries.

“The AI technology inside the device learns their range of motion, their strength, their coordination, where their deficits are, and then we tailor that evaluation to their interventions,” Rubio said.

Shannon Watkins, 42, of Gibsonton, center, is recovering from a stroke that she had earlier this month that diminished the motor skills on the left side of her body. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]

In traditional physical therapy, patients regain motor skills through repetitive movements. For example, a patient who is struggling to pick up a utensil would be given exercises where they repeatedly reach and grab an object.

The AI device can detect any movements that the patient is struggling to make and adjusts the exercises to work on those areas.

The support of the mechanical arm enables more repetitions, helping to build muscle strength, coordination and endurance more quickly. It speeds up the process by which new pathways in the brain are created to send messages to muscles, Rubio said. It also gives the therapist instant feedback on how much effort is coming from the patient versus the mechanical limb.

“We’re able to get more movement in the arm than we would have ever just been able to get with traditional therapies,” Rubio said.

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Watkins said she’s seen clear progress since she started using the device. She’s also undergoing intensive rehab to help her relearn to walk.

She is eager to rejoin her fair colleagues on their travels around the United States.

“I need to get back to where I was before,” she said.