Evaluating the Impact of Robotics, AI, and Virtual Environment on Shoulder Neuro-Rehabilitation in Children with Cerebral Palsy from Birth: A Pilot Study

This pilot study investigates the feasibility and efficacy of a novel neuro-rehabilitation system combining robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and a virtual environment to restore shoulder motion in children with cerebral palsy (CP) from birth. At BARAK General Hospital (BGH) and Wadi Alshatti University (WAU), two children with CP participated in a 2-month intervention using the proposed system targeting the right (affected) shoulder. We measured restoration of all degrees of freedom (flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, internal/external rotation) in the right shoulder. At the end of the intervention, each child achieved full restoration of all right shoulder degrees of freedom. We discuss the multiple benefits of using robotics, AI, and virtual reality (VR) in paediatric neurorehabilitation, including motivation, repetition, objective measurement, adaptive difficulty, and engagement. While the sample size is very small, the positive results suggest promise for further larger‐scale studies. Provisional results are presented with detailed kinematic data for each subject, especially for their shoulder kinematics.