ArticlePeerJ2023
A 3D-printed passive exoskeleton for upper limb assistance in children with motor disorders: proof of concept through an electromyography-based assessment.
Article in PeerJ, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- PETRA: a pedestal exoskeletal testbed with real-time architecture for upper limb rehabilitation robotics.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Evaluation of a Game-Based Mechatronic Device for Rehabilitation of Hand-Arm Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2025Article
- Design and preliminary bench-level validation of a low-cost 3D-printed hip-knee exoskeleton for lower-limb rehabilitation training.Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineeringArticle
- Evaluating the advantages of passive exoskeletons and recommendations for design improvements.Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineeringArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The rehabilitation of children with motor disorders is mainly focused on physical interventions. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of upper function using robotic exoskeletons. However, there is still a gap between research and clinical practice, owing to the cost and complexity of these devices. This study presents a proof of concept of a 3D-printed exoskeleton for the upper limb, following a design that replicates the main characteristics of other effective exoskeletons described in the literature. 3D printing enables rapid prototyping, low cost, and easy adjustment to the patient anthropometry. The 3D-printed exoskeleton, called POWERUP, assists the user's movement by reducing the effect of gravity, thereby allowing them to perform upper limb exercises. To validate the design, this study performed an electromyography-based assessment of the assistive performance of POWERUP, focusing on the muscular response of both the biceps and triceps during elbow flexion-extension movements in 11 healthy children. The Muscle Activity Distribution (MAD) is the proposed metric for the assessment. The results show that (1) the exoskeleton correctly assists elbow flexion, and (2) the proposed metric easily identifies the exoskeleton configuration: statistically significant differences (
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.