Stroke is a major cause of long term disabilities both in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Stroke survivors usually find limited movement and weakness in their upper limbs and they have difficulty in grasping and releasing everyday used objects like a pen or a spoon.

Manual intensive therapies involving a physiotherapist will take at least an hour per patient per day and places huge demands on the resources of the health authorities to provide such services.

The good news is that studies by the University of California (Irvine Study) and by the Brown University in Rhode Island have found that robotic therapy used in this process is less tedious for all parties involved and may help stroke patients to improve their abilities to cope with their daily routines.

These robots are designed to help patients exercise and reproduce the necessary movements to their upper limbs.

Studies in the University of California found that patients given robotic therapy developed a 17% greater range of movement in their hands and wrists than those patients not given the therapy.

These intensive therapies should start as soon as possible after the occurrence of stroke in order to maximise the amount of movement recovery.

Tests carried out by the Brown University on 127 patients who had suffered a stroke five years earlier, also showed similar improvements.

As a result, patients involved in these tests have significantly improved their self-esteem and quality of life as they are able to go about their daily routines with minimum support from their families and friends.

However, these robots are still some way away from full scale use in the United Kingdom.