LARA: Use of JACO2 Controlled by Joystick or by Voice Control System, in Muscular Dystrophy

As part of the EMPATIA @ Lecco project, task 2.9 and task 4.5 respectively provide for the refinement and testing of robotic solutions on the market oriented towards patient empowerment. Within the LARA project, the JACO2 mechanical arm (Kinova Technology, Montreal, QC, Canada), a medical device, which can perform some functions as if it were the subject's arm, will be tested. JACO2 can be controlled by joystick, supplied with the system, or by voice control system, developed by CNR-ITIA to allow use even for those with severe strength impairments. The trial will involve patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD), Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD), congenital and Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSH) over the age of 10 years. In literature of the last decade we find evidence of social and personal benefits deriving from the use of assistive mechanical arms in daily life activities by patients with disabilities due to neuromuscular diseases. The results indicate improved quality of life, greater self-esteem and greater integration into society. In addition to the benefits for the person, it has been shown that the introduction of assistive technologies in the life of patients can lead to potential savings on direct and indirect costs of National Health Services. Assistive robotic arms have a potential user base of approximately 150,000 people only in the United States of America. This population includes subjects who have partially lost the function of the upper limb due to degenerative diseases or because of spinal cord injuries or infantile cerebral palsy. The number of potential users could increase by improving the usability of these systems that, at the moment, still require a certain functionality of the upper limb, in general, and of the hand, in particular. It is in fact known that the introduction of assistive technologies in daily life is not limited so much by the fact that patients do not accept or profit f