The Movement Disorder Society defines tremor as an involuntary rythmi-cal oscillation of a body part (Deuschl et al. 1998). This definition excludes other movement disorders with a less cyclic character such as chorea or ataxia. Tremor is the most frequent movement disorder in clinical practice with an estimated prevalence between 3-4% of the population over 50 (Manto et al. 2004). Everybody has some tremor component, usually invisible for the naked eye, called physiological tremor. However, there are other forms of pathological tremor that can be very disabling, and often a cause of social exclusion (Rocon et al. 2004). There are many pathologies that can cause pathological tremor, among others Essential Tremor, Parkinson Disease, brain trauma or multiple sclerosis. Common treatments of tremor are pharmacological and surgical. Pharmacological treatments depend on the specific pathology that causes tremor. For instance Parkinson disease tremor is treated with L-dopa, and common treatments for Essential Tremor are blockers (Deuschl et al. 1998). Surgical classical treatment for tremor is thalamic thermocoagulation (Deuschl et al. 2000). However from mid 90’s Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is preferred to thermocoagulation (Deuschl et al. 2000). Despite these therapies, there are still an important number of people with pathological tremor resistant to the common treatments (Deuschl et al. 1998). Thus, other alternatives are of interest to help people suffering from different kinds of pathological tremor. Many of these alternatives focus on removing the consequences of tremor rather than its origins. Among others the following approaches can be mentioned: Removing the tremor from a tremorous signal (Riviere & Thakor, 1996; Gonzalez et al. 2000) Design of assistive devices based in dampers (such as the NeaterEater or the MouseTrap Design of robotics systems to suppress tremor. This chapter focuses the attention on the design of robotics systems to suppress tremor. First of all, we will introduce different strategies to suppress tremor using robotic approaches, then we will show the biomechanical and ergonomics issues to take into consideration in the design of these robotic systems, finally we will introduce a set of guidelines to take into account in the design of robotics systems for tremor suppression.

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There are numerous causes that can affect the functioning of the human locomotor system, leading to the appearance of joint disorders in the lower limb and generating atypical gait patterns. The importance of research and development in assistance technologies to compensate patholo-gical gait have been recognised since the beginning of the twentieth century and numerous challenges still lie ahead to make their clinical application a reality. In this section, GAIT, the lower-limb Wearable exoskeleton is presented, conceived as a compensation and evaluation system of pathological gait, for application in real conditions as a combined assistance and assessment methodology of the problems affecting mobility in individuals with neuromotor disorders.

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In recent years, robots have made substantial in-roads in the medical field and are gradually finding their way into clinical practice. Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci surgical robot broke ground in 1998 by performing the first tele-robotic surgery to repair a heart valve. Accuray’s CyberKnife radiotherapy robot began treating head, neck and upper spine tumors in 1999 by combining image guidance with a robotically-directed radiation beam. In 2002, Interactive Motion Technology began therapy of stroke patients with the InMotion2 robot, also known as the MIT-Manus . These devices and many others under development have provided researchers and doctors alike with capabilities not previously available.

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The impact of disability on society is great not only on direct treat-ment costs. Invaluable loss of human creative activity and mental wellbeing as well as productivity losses reflect the indirect impact on the disabled individual as well as on society as a whole. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the industrialised countries. Every year, over 130,000 people in the U.K. suffer strokes, with 13,000 under retirement age. Ischemia or haemorrhage in the brain may be the cause of cerebral vascular accidents which result in strokes (Parker et al., 1986). Fortunately over 65% of patients survive but the majority does have residual disabilities with up to 1/3 having severe disabili-ties particularly in the upper limb and hand. Hemiplegia, the most common impairment resulting from stroke, leaves the survivor with a stronger unimpaired arm and a weaker impaired one (hemiparesis). Traumatic injuries as well as conditions like muscular dystrophy, arthritis and regional pain syndromes, also add to the major causes of disability and functional dependence. Deficits in motor control and coordination synergy patterns, spasticity and pain are some of the most common symptoms of these conditions (Parker et al., 1986).

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The coupling of several areas of the medical field with recent advances in robotic systems has seen a paradigm shift in our approach to selected sectors of medical care, especially over the last decade. Rehabilitation medicine is one such area. The development of advanced robotic systems has ushered with it an exponential number of trials and experiments aimed at optimising restoration of quality of life to those who are physically debilitated. Despite these developments, there remains a paucity in the presentation of these advances in the form of a comprehensive tool. This book was written to present the most recent advances in rehabilitation robotics known to date from the perspective of some of the leading experts in the field and presents an interesting array of developments put into 33 comprehensive chapters. The chapters are presented in a way that the reader will get a seamless impression of the current concepts of optimal modes of both experimental and applicable roles of robotic devices. Robotic instrument designs are combined with the results of experiments and trials in an applicable and practical way. The ethos of the book is unique in that there is a considerable emphasis on practical applicability in making real time changes to patient care. The book begins by exploring the inherent and unique challenges of paediatric rehabilitation and presents the robotic platforms upon which promising preliminary results were noted. It then explores the key elements of robotic safety critical systems and risk management issues, an area of great concern in the medical field at present. There is also an in depth look at the role of robotics from a mechanotronics and virtual reality standpoint. The concept of high safety rehabilitation systems using functional fluid is explored and the platform for further studies is introduced. The concept of powered wearable assistance and the role of exoskeleton devices pave the brink of an exciting era in rehabilitation robotics. Additional concepts explored involve the interaction-control between robot, patient and therapist. ‘Rehabilitation Robotics’ promises to be a valuable supple-mentary tool to all those involved in rehabilitation from the standpoint of the patient and affected families, the therapist and the robot. It also acts as a platform upon which researchers can gain a solid and evidence based approach towards the initiation of future projects.

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