Bulletin No. 2, 2015

Interactive Exoskeleton Ankle Robot for Stroke Rehabilitation Prof. Raymond Tong (3rd left) of the Department of Elec tronic Engineering of CUHK and Dr. Wai Hon - wah (3rd right) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University jointly devised an Interactive Exoskeleton Ankle Robot for rehabilitation of stroke pa t i en t s w i t h f oo t d r op problem, or people with muscle weakness or joint problem in the ankle. This active robotic system is light in weight and easy to use. It can be fit on a patient’s shank to serve as an exoskeleton to help the patient control his/her leg. The robot can sense a user’s gait pattern, and analyse the kinetic and kinematic gait parameters to predict the user’s next motion. The robot will then provide power assistance to support ankle joint movement, with proper feedback to enhance the quality and speed. New Material for Osteoporosis-related Bone Fracture The Faculty of Medicine developed an innovative bone implant by combining biodegradable magnesium (Mg) and conventional metals, which can be used for bone fixation in patients with osteoporotic fractures. The new material will reduce the healing time and enhance the strength of the fractured bone, both by 30%, and also possibly prevent a second fracture. The principal investigator Prof. Qin Ling (middle) of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology pointed out that magnesium ions degraded from the Mg-based orthopedic implant stimulate the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which promotes the osteogenic differentiation of the pluripotent periosteum-derived stem cells (PDSCs) to form new bone and replace the hole left by degraded Mg-based implants. Besides, the use of Mg-based implants is estimated to decrease material costs by 50%. RESEARCH 38 Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2015