Research and Evaluation of Robot-Assisted Interventions for Gait Stability and Balance in Neurological Conditions: Cerebral Palsy in Children (REGAIN-CP)

Collaborative Research Program for 2025-2027

Neurological Disorders in children due to diseases of the nervous system, sense organ, and osteoarticular system are on rise in Kazakhstan [1] and rest of the world [2, 3]. Cerebral palsy (CP) which is a group of neurological disorders adversely affects the use of muscles that control movement, coordination, and communication. Reported incidences of cerebral palsy (CP) in children aged 0–17 years are increasing in Kazakhstan, and this may be accredited to the rising awareness in the urban healthcare system. During the period 2006-2016, the reported CP case at the national level increased by 84.6% while the average increase in urban CP population over rural CP population during 2010-19 was also recorded as 84.5% [4].
Children with CP require therapeutic interventions to enhance their gait stability, postural balance, and social skills. However, due to inadequate infrastructure, only a small fraction (less than 25%) of these children have access to clinics for such services in Kazakhstan [4, 5]. The common challenges in Kazakhstan and the rest of the world include the lack of therapists and the labor-intensive, time-consuming nature of therapeutic sessions. The rehabilitation process, therefore, require technology-driven interventions to achieve clinical effectiveness, accessibility, capacity building, and long-term socio-economic benefits.
The overall objective of this research program is to devise an AI-based platform for the improved diagnosis & evaluation of children with CP and impart systematic rehabilitation to enhance gait stability and overall balance by developing a Gait Exoskeleton-Assisted Rehabilitation (GEAR) and a Robotic Perturbation System (RPS). It is hypothesized that the robot-assisted gait training will improve their spatio-temporal gait parameters and robotic perturbation-based training will improve their overall balance (static, dynamic, and functional/ postural) and proprioception. Research efforts shall also focus on improving cognitive functions in CP children by designing a cognitive rehabilitation system using a device that provides mixed reality experience (a hybrid of Virtual Reality, and augmented reality).
[1]N. A. Yuri Oksamitniy. (2017). Children of Kazakhstan, Statistical Yearbook
[2]G. Kumar, V. Sharma, and A. Kumar, "Clinical Profile of Pediatric Neurology Disorders: A Study From a Semi-Urban Medical College in Northwestern India," Cureus, vol. 14, p. e30359, Oct 2022.
[3]J. D. Steinmetz, K. M. Seeher, N. Schiess, E. Nichols, B. Cao, C. Servili, et al., "Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021," The Lancet Neurology, vol. 23, pp. 344-381, 2024.
[4]M. Zhakupova, A. Nurbakyt, D. Ospanova, A. Chuyenbekova, Z. Kozhekenova, G. Dauletova, et al., "Epidemiology of cerebral palsy in the Republic of Kazakhstan: Incidence and risk factors," p. e14849, 03/01 2023.
[5](2019, 18/05/2024). Children's rehabilitation: What will change after implementing compulsory social health insurance. Available: https://primeminister.kz/en/news/interviews/detskaya-reabilitaciya-chto-izmenitsya-posle-vnedreniya-osms