Rafael Raya

Verified

Rafael verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Rafael verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University Foundation San Pablo CEU

Motor disability in children is evident in diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, or spinal muscular atrophy, among others, due to altered movement and postural patterns. This becomes more evident as the child grows and can be treated with physical therapy. The effectiveness of early interventions in facilitating...

Objective: This research evaluates from a usability point of view the combination of a developed fully immersive virtual reality (VR) solution with the SWalker robotic device. It aims to contribute to research in the exploration of immersive experiences overground with a functional gait recovery device. Materials and Methods: We evaluated the syste...

Background New interventions based on motor learning principles and neural plasticity have been tested among patients with ataxia and hemiparesis. Therapies of pedaling exercises have also shown their potential to induce improvements in muscle activity, strength, and balance. Virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated as an effective tool for impro...

Powered lower limb exoskeletons have been used in recent decades to support and improve conventional gait rehabilitation programs. In this context, visual feedback is considered a valuable tool to facilitate patient learning and engagement. Treadmill-based lower limb robotic exoskeletons are commonly incorporated with traditional screens or virtual...

The aim of the study was to develop a novel real-time, computer-based synchronization system to continuously record pressure and craniocervical flexion ROM (range of motion) during the CCFT (craniocervical flexion test) in order to assess its feasibility for measuring and discriminating the values of ROM between different pressure levels. This was...

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...

Achieving adherence to physical exercise training is essential in elders and adults with neurological disorders. Immersive technologies are seeing wide adoption among new neurorehabilitation therapies, as they provide a highly effective motivational and stimulating component. The aim of this study is to verify whether the developed virtual reality...

La fractura de cadera es una lesión frecuente en personas mayores de 65 años,estando asociada a una reducción en la esperanza de vida. Su rehabilitación se basa en la movilización gradual mediante terapia manual. Sin embargo, estos tratamientos no suelen ser integrales, constan de ejercicios repetitivos, resultan monótonos para el pacientey su segu...

The purpose of this work is to study the gap between the research evidence and the clinical practice in the physical rehabilitation of people with cerebral palsy. A review process was performed to (1) identify physical therapies to improve postural control in children with cerebral palsy and (2) determine the scientific evidence supporting the effe...

BACKGROUND The use of wearable inertial sensors has shown to be an easy-to-use and reliable option to objectively measure and monitor the range of motion (ROM) associated with each stage of the craniocervical flexion test (CCFT). However, previous research showed limitations when discriminating between each of the stages of the CCFT to standardize...

Virtual reality (VR) applications on rehabilitation a home-base exercise experiences have boomed in the last decade. This is mainly because their entertainment capacity creates a sense of immersion in the users, which enhances adherence to their use. In addition, offering body-related visual feedback is a proven approach to the physical training to...

Patients with upper limb disorders are limited in their activities of daily living and impose an important healthcare burden due to the repetitive rehabilitation they require. A way to reduce this burden is through home-based therapy using virtual reality solutions, since they are readily available, provide immersion, and enable accurate motion tra...

Objective: This study presents the design and evaluation of goal-directed arm tasks using a customised exoskeleton for children with motor disabilities (MD). A further aim was to investigate the suitability of using video games or virtual reality as motivational technologies for gamified functional exercises. Methods: An upper limb exoskeleton and...

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a valid addition to conventional therapy in rehabilitation and sports medicine. This has enabled the development of novel and affordable rehabilitation strategies. However, before VR devices can be used in these situations, they must accurately capture the range of motion of the body-segment where they are mounte...

Hip fracture is one of the most common traumatisms associated with falls in the elderly, severely affecting the patient’s mobility and independence. In recent years, the use of robotic technology has proven to be effective in gait rehabilitation, especially for neurological disorders. However, there is a lack of research validating these devices fo...

Introduction Neck pain is a very common musculoskeletal disorder associated with high socioeconomic costs derived from work absenteeism and medical expenses. Previous studies have suggested that patients with neck pain of different origins present sensorimotor control impairments compared with the asymptomatic population. However, there is a small...

In an increasingly aging population, impaired motor control and loss of balance and lower limb muscle strength are triggering an increased risk of falls and hip fractures. With the intention of preventing them, are enforced intervention programs based on pedaling exercises to improve physical conditioning of the elderly. To achieve physical results...

BACKGROUND There is sparse research on the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise for the treatment of neck pain in older adult populations. Moreover, there is a lack of research on the use of serious games or virtual reality for the treatment of neck pain in this population. OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study was to develop and assess the sui...

This study evaluates and compares the suitability for child–computer interaction (CCI, the branch within human–computer interaction focused on interactive computer systems for children) of two devices: a standard computer mouse and the ENLAZA interface, a head mouse that measures the user’s head posture using an inertial sensor. A multidirectional...

Background Hip fracture is one of the most common traumatisms associated with falls in the elderly, severely affecting the patient's mobility and independence. The treatment involves hospitalization and prolonged rehabilitation periods with high costs which are associated with an increased mortality rate due to health complications. In recent years...

Background The craniocervical flexion test (CCFT) is recommended when examining patients with neck pain related conditions and as a deep cervical retraining exercise option. During the execution of the CCFT the examiner should visually assess that the amount of craniocervical flexion range of motion (ROM) progressively increases. However, this task...

Background Elbow and wrist chronic conditions are very common among musculoskeletal problems. These painful conditions affect muscle function, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the joint’s Range Of Motion (ROM). Due to their portability and ease of use, goniometers are still the most widespread tool for measuring ROM. Inertial sensors are eme...

Robotic exoskeletons that induce leg movement have proven effective for lower body rehabilitation, but current solutions offer limited gait patterns, lack stabilization, and do not properly stimulate the proprioceptive and balance systems (since the patient remains in place). Partial body weight support (PBWS) systems unload part of the patient’s b...

This paper presents a review of the techniques found in the literature that aim to achieve a robust heartbeat detection from fusing multi-modal physiological signals (e.g., electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure (BP), artificial blood pressure (ABP), stroke volume (SV), photoplethysmogram (PPG), electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), an...

Neck injuries and the related pain have a high prevalence and represent an important health problem. To properly diagnose and treat them, practitioners need an accurate system for measuring Cervical Range Of Motion (CROM). This article describes the development and validation of an inexpensive, small (4 cm × 4 cm × 8 cm), light (< 200 g) and easy t...

INTERPLAY is a project that proposes the development of an advanced console that suits the motor and cognitive level of the user. The main objectives of the motor rehabilitation are to reduce disability, increase functional ability and, consequently, promote social participation. Adapted peripherals were specially developed for users with motor imp...

BiMU is a platform for computer access and rehabilitation of the upper limb through virtual reality (VR) games. It adapts to the motor and cognitive level of the user and its main goal is improving the efficiency of traditional therapies: reducing disability, increasing functional ability, and promoting social participation. BiMU’s peripheral consi...

The procedures for evaluating alternative computer access systems are neither rigorous, systematic nor formal. We present a methodology to evaluate the user-computer interaction, based on three metrics, when people with cerebral palsy (CP) use eye- trackers as an alternative access device. We validated the methodology by comparing three commercial...

This article evaluates the performance of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) using an inertial human–computer interface (HCI) based on head movements and a novel facilitation algorithm which we named MouseField. In total, 17 participants from three centers specialized in CP participated in a series of tests that evaluated rapidity and accuracy in...

Background This paper presents the preliminary results of a novel rehabilitation therapy for cervical and trunk control of children with cerebral palsy (CP) based on serious videogames and physical exercise. Materials The therapy is based on the use of the ENLAZA Interface, a head mouse based on inertial technology that will be used to control a s...

This paper presents an experiment to validate a head-mounted inertial interface for human-computer interaction (HCI) developed for people with cerebral palsy (CP). The method is based on Fitts’s law, an empirical model of human motor performance for aimed movements. Head motion is recorded in a series of goal-crossing tasks and a regression model o...

This study concerns the difficulty in accessing computers faced by people with Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy (DCP). Thus diminishing their opportunities to communicate or learn. This population usually needs an alternative input human-computer interface (HCI). The paper presents an alternative multimodal HCI that incorporates a head-mounted interface a...

Background Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder of posture and movement due to a defect in the immature brain. The use of robotic devices as alternative treatment to improve the gait function in patients with CP has increased. Nevertheless, current gait trainers are focused on controlling complete joint trajectories, avoiding postural control and the...

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disorder of posture and movement due to an imperfection or lesion in the immature brain. CP is often associated to sensory deficits, cognition impairments, communication and motor disabilities, behaviour issues, seizure disorder, pain and secondary musculoskeletal problems. New strategies are needed to help to promote, main...

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is one of the most severe disabilities in childhood, and it demands important costs in health, education, and social services. CP is caused by damage to or abnormalities inside the developing brain that disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement and maintain posture. Furthermore, CP is often associated with sensory deficits...

This paper presents the preliminary results of a novel rehabilitation therapy for cervical and trunk control of children with cerebral palsy (CP). The therapy is based on the use of an inertial sensor that will be used to control a set of serious videogames with movements of the head. Ten users with CP participated in the study, in the experimental...

In this paper, a parallel hardware implementation to accelerate the computation of the minimum embedding dimension is presented. The estimation of the minimum embedding dimension is a time-consuming task necessary to start the non-linear analysis of biomedical signals. The design presented has as main goals maximum performance and reconfigurability...

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disorder of childhood. It is characterized by abnormal muscle tone and is caused by a nonprogressive injury to the developing brain. The hallmark of abnormal posture and movement occurs as the child develops fundamental motor skills. Thus, it is critical to make opportunities for infants and young childr...

Title: This paper presents a systematic review of robotic devices and therapies for cerebral palsy (CP), trying to shed some light on the present literature on robot-based CP rehabilitation. Background: Recent publications have demonstrated that robot-assisted therapies may constitute an effective tool for the compensation and rehabilitation of th...

This book reports on the latest technological and clinical advances in the field of neurorehabilitation. It is, however, much more than a conventional survey of the state-of-the-art in neurorehabilitation technologies and therapies. It was written on the basis of a week of lively discussions between PhD students and leading research experts during...

Resumen. La plataforma robótica CP-Walker tiene el objetivo de reducir el tiempo de rehabilitación postquirúrgico de niños con parálisis cerebral (PC). La PC es la discapacidad motora más común en la infancia y limita frecuentemente la función de marcha del individuo. CP-Walker está compuesto de dos partes principales: exoesqueleto y andador inteli...

En este artículo se presenta la integración de un ratón inercial y una interfaz ocular para el control del cursor del ordenador. El ratón inercial se utiliza para controlar la posición del puntero, mientras que la interfaz ocular permite hacer click en pantalla a través del parpadeo. Para evaluar la interfaz combinada se ha empleado un software de...

Este artículo presenta un estudio preliminar que analiza el rendimiento de usuarios con parálisis cerebral (CP) en el manejo del ordenador a través de una interfaz inercial basada en movimientos de la cabeza y un novedoso algoritmo de facilitación del clic, MouseField. El algoritmo está basado en técnicas de botones expansibles y campos gravitatori...

Following the Principle of Compositionality, the meaning of a complex expression is influenced, to some extent, not only by the meanings of its individual words, but also the structural way the words are assembled. Compositionality has been a central research issue for linguists and psycholinguists. However, it remains unclear how does syntax influ...

Abstract Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most severe disabilities in childhood and makes heavy demands on health, educational, and social services as well as on families and children themselves. The most frequently cited definition of CP is a disorder of posture and movement due to a defect or lesion in the immature brain.

Los comandos básicos para el control de ordenadores a través de interfaces gráficas son comandos de alcance a un objeto en pantalla y su selección. El presente documento describe un estudio comparativo a nivel funcional de dos estrategias de selección alternativas, especialmente diseñada para personas con parálisis cerebral: clic por permanencia y...

Providing individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) tools to communicate and interact with the environment independently and reliably since childhood would allow for a more active participation in education and social life. We outline first steps towards the development of such a hybrid brain-computer interface-based (BCI) communication tool. http://ca...

En este artículo se describe el diseño e implementación de un sistema de control de entorno para usuarios con parálisis cerebral (PC). La plataforma trata de solventar las limitaciones de la domótica actual que, si bien ha demostrado ser una tecnología madura y muy extendida para la población general, apenas se aplica al mundo de la discapacidad. E...

En este artículo se describe el diseño e implementación de un sistema de control de entorno para usuarios con parálisis cerebral (CP). La plataforma trata de solventar las limitaciones de la domótica actual que, si bien ha demostrado ser una tecnología madura y muy extendida para la población general, apenas se aplica al mundo de la discapacidad. E...

This paper analyzes the presence of positive and negative motor signs in people with cerebral palsy (CP). Positive motor signs are those that lead to involuntarily increased frequency or magnitude of muscle activity. Negative motor signs describe insufficient muscle activity or insufficient control of muscle activity. In this paper, a head-mounted...

Este artículo presenta una plataforma robótica para la rehabilitación post-quirúrgica de personas con parálisis cerebral (PC). La PC define un conjunto de trastornos de la postura y el movimiento que aparece debido a una lesión en el cerebro inmaduro. La cirugía ortopédica es el mejor tratamiento cuando existen problemas musculoesquéleticos severos...

This document describes a methodology for the measurement of accuracy and precision of a remote eye tracker, the Tobii X2-30, under non ideal condition. The test was performed with 10 people. The results are: 2.46 and 1.91 degrees for the accuracy and precision respectively. The results can be used to establish the target size on the screen.

Los avances tecnológicos permiten mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas. Sin embargo estos progresos no siempre se encuentran al alcance de todos pues quienes presentan limitaciones motrices, auditivas, del habla, etc., no pueden acceder a estos beneficios. En este sentido, el ordenador es una herramienta tecnológica que permite realizar infin...

An algorithm to predict the selection of a target by analyzing the trajectory of a pointer controlled by an accelerometer is proposed and validated on data acquired with healthy subjects and persons with Cerebral Palsy (CP). The algorithm allows a reduction of 50% of the time required for target selection, with respect to a conventional “dwell” str...

Este artículo presenta una metodología para valorar el aprendizaje de una persona con parálisis cerebral en el uso del computador con una interfaz inercial, que permite el control del puntero del ratón mediante movimientos de cabeza. Se propone una métrica llamada “Throughput” y el tiempo de alcance para medir objetivamente el proceso de aprendizaj...

This paper analyzes positive and negative motor signs in people with cerebral palsy (CP). Positive motor signs are those that lead to involuntarily increased frequency or magnitude of muscle activity. Negative motor signs describe insufficient muscle activity or insufficient control of muscle activity. This work present the use of a head mounted in...

Resumen. La Parálisis Cerebral (PC) es un trastorno generado por un problema de desarrollo del Sistema Nervioso Central en periodos próximos al nacimiento o en las primeras fases de la vida. Este trastorno se caracteriza por presentar principalmente alteraciones motoras que afectan directamente a la postura y al control de los movimientos pero...

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder that arises in childhood and stays the rest of life. CP affects movement, posture and muscle tone. According ASPACE Confederation CP is a whole person disorder consisting of a permanent but not unchanging disorder of muscle tone, posture and movement due to a non-progressive lesion in the brain before the developme...

No todas las personas tienen la capacidad de interactuar con las interfaces de acceso más comunes como los teclados, pulsadores y de pantallas táctiles. Existen trabajos innovadores que apuntan al desarrollo de interfaces alternativas en respuesta a las necesidades comentadas. Una interfaz alternativa (IA) es una interfaz de entrada que puede ser c...

Some people with cerebral palsy (CP) have difficulty interacting with standard human-computer interfaces (HCI). Several systems have demonstrated to be usable HCI for disabled people. However, there is a lack of usability when users suffer severe motor disorders, like the case of CP users. This work characterizes cerebral palsy users while they per...

This paper proposes an inertial human-computer interface to promote the interaction of children with cerebral palsy and their environment through the computer. The main goal of the interface, called ENLAZA, is to reduce the effects of the involuntary movements of the users using an adaptive filter technique. The filtering technique is a robust Kalm...

This paper proposes a playful robotic vehicle to promote the interaction of children with cerebral palsy and their environment, both social and physical. The main goal of the vehicle, called PALMIBER, is to improve the cognitive and physical skills of the users through mobility experiences. Moreover, we present a novel head-mounted inertial interfa...

Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most severe disabilities in childhood and it is a disorder of posture and movement due to a defect or lesion in the immature brain. People with CP are unable to control standard human-computer interfaces (e.g. mouse). Therefore, they need advanced devices, which reduce their limitations and empower their capabiliti...

This work aims to create an advanced human-computer interface called ENLAZA for people with cerebral palsy (CP). Although there are computer-access solutions for disabled people in general, there are few evidences from motor disabled community (e.g., CP) using these alternative interfaces. The proposed interface is based on inertial sensors in orde...

This paper presents novel strategies for the interaction and mobility of infants with cerebral palsy (CP) and similar disorders. Initially, the design of a playful robotic vehicle is proposed. It aims to promote the physical and cognitive skills through mobility experiences. Despite the versatility of the vehicle, some children present severe motor...

El trabajo presentado en este artículo tiene como objetivo caracterizar los patrones de movimiento y postura involuntarios de personas con PC discinética. Este análisis será empleado para diseñar una interfaz persona-computador, basada en tecnología inercial, que interpreta los movimientos de la cabeza del usuario y los traduce en movimientos del p...

La parálisis cerebral (PC) es un trastorno que surge en la infancia y se mantiene el resto de la vida. La PC afecta el movimiento, la postura y el tono muscular. Según la Confederación ASPACE la PC es un “trastorno global de la persona consistente en un desorden permanente y no inmutable del tono muscular, la postura y el movimiento, debido a una l...

http://dmi.uib.es/~ugiv/Iberdiscap2011/

This paper aims to validate a head mounted inertial interface to characterize disorder movements in people with cerebral palsy (CP). The kinematic patterns extracted from this study will be used to design an alternative communication channel (using head motion) adapted to user's capabilities and limitations. Four people with CP participated (GMFCS...

People with multiple physical and cognitive impairments have difficulties for using properly conventional pointing devices, what reduces their possibilities to communicate and improve their cognitive and physical skills through computers. This paper proposes a head control mouse based on a triaxial inertial sensor particularly focused on infants wi...

The computer is considered a very useful tool for physical and cognitive rehabilitation. However, people with disabilities have limitations to control properly conventional user interfaces because of their motor diseases. This paper is in the framework of a project to create an alternative computer interface, especially addressed to children with C...

En este trabajo se presentan en primer lugar unas consideraciones generales sobre la aplicación de la robótica en un sentido amplio a funciones de asistencia personal atendiendo de un modo particular a las necesidades de las personas con discapacidad física o sensorial y cognitiva. El ńucleo del trabajo consiste en la exposición de la configuración...

In this work, general considerations are placed regarding the application of robotics in personal assistance aiming in particular the necessities of people with physical, sensory or cognitive impairments. The main focus of this work is the configuration of a series of ultrasonic transducers for the measurement of the relative position between the u...

Physical and cognitive disabilities affect to motor skills and social integration. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motor disability in children. Motor skills of disabled infants are affected by different forms and different aids may be adapted to empower the infants' residual abilities. This work presents an interface based on inert...

In this paper it is presented a study of the laterality components in walker assisted gait for elderly or disabled people. This work relies on the measurement of forearm reaction forces in the SIMBIOSIS platform and their relation with the lateral movement of Centre of Gravity (CoG) of the user body during gait with the walker. The discussion prese...

This paper proposes an algorithm for ultrasonic distance measurement applications. In order to estimate the time-of-flight (ToF), an analytic process is developed based on the mathematical model of the ultrasonic envelope signal improving some previous methods by extrapolation and characterization of this envelope function using analytical paramete...

Robotic exoskeletons are wearable robots coupled to the human body, being the human an integral part of the human-robot system. Specifically, the control plays an important role, and stability must be guarantee. Both actors form a close loop with two control systems interacting dynamically. In this regard, a relevant issue is to understand how huma...

One of the main challenges of social policy in European Union is to promote the autonomy of elderly people. Investments in assistive technology and rehabilitation are producing improvements in the quality of life of elderly people. However, the effectiveness of assistive devices is often limited by the human machine interfaces. Actual assistive dev...

El uso de robots para la asistencia a personas ha sido considerado por muchos investigadores desde el comienzo de la robótica moderna. Hay muchos factores que están contribuyendo a expandir la necesidad de tales dispositivos, tales como el envejecimiento de la población en muchos países desarrollados y las expectativas generadas para una asistencia...

The application of robot in the assistance of humans is an active field. There are several factors contributing to increase the activity in this field, such as the ageing of Western population and the demand of adequate medical assistance to disable people. This paper describes the development of an upper limb exoskeleton for monitoring and suppres...

IntroductionKinematic compatibility between human limbs and wearable robotsApplication of load to humansControl of human–robot interactionCase Study: quantification of constraint displacements and interaction forces in nonergonomic pHR interfacesCase Study: analysis of pressure distribution and tolerance areas for wearable robotsCase Study: upper l...