14 September 2026
Bilbao
The project, entitled «Multimodal social robotics system based on ROS 2 and artificial intelligence for upper-limb rehabilitation following stroke» and supervised by Begoña García-Zapirain Soto, involves the development of an experimental prototype based on Reachy, the humanoid robot developed by Pollen Robotics.
The system uses the robot as a companion during rehabilitation sessions. Using its camera and artificial intelligence techniques, the system analyses the user’s arm movements and, using speech processing, identifies their instructions, intentions and certain aspects of their condition during the exercise.
All this information is integrated into a session manager that adapts the activity to the user’s identified needs. In this way, the robot can repeat instructions, provide encouraging messages, reduce the number of repetitions or safely end the session when necessary.
The prototype was tested in a range of situations, including instances of fatigue, incomplete movements and requests to stop. The tests made it possible to verify the integration of the various modules and the system’s ability to adapt the session. Furthermore, an initial evaluation with users revealed a positive perception of their interaction with the robot.
The study opens up new possibilities for the use of social robotics and artificial intelligence in rehabilitation processes, laying the foundations for incorporating new exercises and moving towards more personalised sessions.
