Work Packages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Work Package 1: System specification and hardware setup

1. Define the system specifications of software and hardware based on the user needs (patients with sensory-motor disorders, therapists and physicians)
2. Set up and test the hardware components including sensing, computing, and display devices for the lower extremity system based on the Lokomat and the upper extremity system based on the HapticMaster

Work Package 2: Multimodal immersive interactive display environment

1. Create and render the multimodal displays of the scenarios
2. Take the presence of the participant, as estimated from WP3 (based on arousal, stress, involvement, breaks in presence and overt behaviour) as input and render the scenario according to the therapeutic goals.

Work Package 3: Multi-sensorial data processing and decision making

1. Provide the theoretical basis, procedures, and computer algorithms for acquisition, processing (fusion) and interpretation of multi-sensory information arising from the interaction of the human with the robot and the virtual environment (muscle activity, limb movements, interaction forces, speech, changes in emotional state).
2. Interpretation of multi-sensory information in real-time resulting in a descriptions of the users activities and his/her psycho-physiological state
3. Create a set of rules, which allow dynamic adaptation of the virtual scenario (developed in WP2)

Work Package 4: Experimental evaluation

1. Test the hypothese that presence may be assessed through the combination of arousal, stress, involvement, breaks in presence, and overt behaviour
2. Test the hypothese that high presence is associated with high motivation and achievement in the rehabilitation task
3. Test the hypothese that the system is able to successfully learn associations between environmental cues and participant responses, and thereby is able to guide participants into motivational states appropriate for rehabilitation
4. Show within two randomized pilot studies with single stroke patients that increased presence and motivation can improve the rehabilitation outcome in upper and lower extremity movement training
5. Validate one further special "minimal configuration" system for the weight-supported passive training of upper limb movements using the Armeo.

Work Package 5: Dissemination and exploitation

1. Raise awareness of the “state of the science” on cognitive robotics applied to rehabilitation and to enhance the development of future devices that fill the needs of consumers and healthcare professionals
2. Inform scientific community, the participating universities, commercial partners, and the general public about the scientific information, novel technology and novel strategies for rehabilitation and health care developed in this project

Work Package 6: Project management

1. Coordinate the overall technological progress, administration and finances of the project
2. Communicate with the EU commission and coordinate and supervise the multidisciplinary team of 5 European partners to realise deliverables and milestones according to the work plan
3. Establish a framework for the efficient dissemination of the results of MIMICS to generate wide visibility for the project and its results