Two innovation projects for rehabilitation purposes developed at Instituto Santos Dumont (ISD) were selected by the Global Grad Show, an initiative of the Art Dubai Group, on the list of the 150 projects of greatest social relevance worldwide. The projects were selected Hand Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation Objectives (HERO) and Exosuit – Gait wearable exoskeleton, exoskeletons that can help in the rehabilitation of patients who have lost movement in their fingers and ankles as a result of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), popularly known as a 'stroke'. 

HERO, a project developed in the Master's Degree in Neuroengineering by neuroengineer Rommel Araújo, is based on Brain-Machine Interface, one of the lines of research in Neuroscience that connects the brain to an electronic device. “Patients wear an exoskeleton on their arms and an electroencephalogram on their heads, to which electrodes for capturing the brain signal are connected. Thus, even a patient with total loss of hand movement can control and move the device just by imagining the movement, thanks to the transfer of these brain signals”, explains Rommel. 

The Exosuit, on the other hand, is an auxiliary exoskeleton designed to help stroke patients regain their mobility and independence developed by mechanical engineer and master's student in neuroengineering Mouhamed Zorkot. “I've always been fascinated by the idea of helping people to walk again through technology, so the project is about helping people who have had a stroke to walk again. The exoskeleton is wearable and helps the person elevate the foot. Our proposal is to apply the device in therapies, optimizing rehabilitation, reducing sequelae for the patient and also in daily use, so that he can carry out tasks normally, such as going to work, walking down the street”, said Mouhamed. 

The Cerebral Vascular Accident is the formation of a sudden neurological deficit caused by a failure in the blood vessels of the Central Nervous System. According to the Brazilian Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases (SBDC), approximately 70% of people affected by stroke are unable to resume their professional activities. As a result of the consequences that the condition leaves, patients lose their autonomy and end up needing caregivers to carry out daily tasks.

According to professor-researcher at ISD, Fabrício Brasil, the main approaches to recover movement in patients with stroke are medication and physiotherapy, but other techniques can be included. “Exoskeletons are technologies that can improve outcomes and recover movement for patients who have completely lost movement in their limbs. The two projects are independent but complement each other, as they deal with different parts of the body that can be affected, even simultaneously”, he said. 

Global Graduate Show 

The Global Graduate Show is a program for university graduates around the world whose research and ideas offer solutions to social and environmental problems. Submitted projects cover areas ranging from neuroengineering, biomedical engineering to urban design and data sciences, from Theacademics from over 70 countries and 600 universities. 

“Being in this ranking of the 150 most socially relevant projects means being in a very important window of recognition. It is the opportunity to show and put our projects into practice, and to get more investments so that these initiatives reach the population more quickly”, said neuroengineer Rommel Araújo. The project that developed the HERO exoskeleton, already approved and published, was tested on a healthy volunteer, while the Exosuit is in the testing phase. The researchers have the perspective of developing the equipment for commercialization, through the creation of a startup. 

Part of the Global Grad Show is the entrepreneurship program, which is open to all applicants and provides startups, mentoring and network access to help graduates move their projects towards implementation.

Master's in Neuroengineering 

HERO and Exosuit are projects developed, respectively, by Mechanical Engineers, Rommel Araújo and Mouhamed Zorkot, during the two years that pass through the Masters in Neuroengineering at the Santos Dumont Institute. The graduate program is offered at the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences (IIN-ELS), in Macaíba/RN and is free. Selection processes take place twice a year for graduate students in the areas of health, engineering and biology.