RETRAINER Project: Perspectives and Lesson Learnt on Clinical Trial in Rehabilitation Robotics to Foster Industrial Exploitation

The RETRAINER (Reaching and grasping Training based on

Robotic hybrid AssIstance for Neurological patients: End users Real life evaluation)

project is an Innovation Action funded by the European Commission

under the H2020 research framework programme. The project aims at a full

technology transfer of the results of a previous FP7 project, MUNDUS, aimed at

the development of upper limb assistive technologies, to a robotic system for

upper limb and hand rehabilitation to be tested in a wide clinical trial with stroke

survivors in two clinical centers. The final result of the project is the design of a

validated system suitable to address the rehabilitation market. Along this project’s

path, several issues affecting both development and validation have been

pointed out and are here summarized to serve as lesson learnt for prospective

projects and challenges.