Introduction. In stroke rehabilitation, bilateral upper limb training is gaining ground. As a result, a growing number of mechanical and robotic bilateral upper limb training devices have been proposed. Objective. To provide an overview and qualitative evaluation of the clinical applicability of bilateral upper limb training devices. Methods. Potentially relevant literature was searched in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from 1990 onwards. Devices were categorized as mechanical or robotic (according to the PubMed MeSH term of robotics). Results. In total, 6 mechanical and 14 robotic bilateral upper limb training devices were evaluated in terms of mechanical and electromechanical characteristics, supported movement patterns, targeted part and active involvement of the upper limb, training protocols, outcomes of clinical trials, and commercial availability. Conclusion. Initial clinical results are not yet of such caliber that the devices in question and the concepts on which they are based are firmly established. However, the clinical outcomes do not rule out the possibility that the concept of bilateral training and the accompanied devices may provide a useful extension of currently available forms of therapy. To actually demonstrate their (surplus) value, more research with adequate experimental, dose-matched designs, and sufficient statistical power are required. 1. Introduction As technology advances, a growing number of mechanical and robotic training devices (i.e., mechanical devices with electronic, computerized control systems) for upper limb training have been proposed for stroke rehabilitation. Compared to conventional therapies, these training devices have the advantage that they allow a self-controlled increase in training intensity and frequency as well as the opportunity to train independently [1–4]. In recent years, a substantial number of these training devices have been designed specifically for bilateral upper limb training, but an integral overview and evaluation have thus far been lacking. The present study seeks to fill this lacuna. Bilateral upper limb training is by no means a new form of stroke rehabilitation. Since days long past, therapists have been creative in using appliances, such as pulleys, to move the most impaired upper limb simultaneously with the less impaired upper limb [5]. Nevertheless, the current upsurge in the interest in bilateral upper limb training has a relatively short history and arose partly serendipitously [6, 7] and partly from insights gleaned from the motor control literature.
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