MELTIN is working on healthcare R&D with the aim of realizing a
“world where everyone, regardless of age or physical condition, is empowered to live freely in any way they like.”

• What kind of research is MELTIN engaged in?

  Seeking to help people whose condition or disability prevents them from moving as freely as they would like, we are researching and developing robots that are capable of reading the moves that a person wants to make, and providing assistance or training accordingly.

  Robotic neurorehabilitation devices are a top priority research theme for MELTIN. These devices use AI to analyze bio-signals, and read how a person with hemiplegia due to stroke or other causes wants to move, and assist them in realizing their desired movements.
  Rehabilitation based on neuroscience is known as neurorehabilitation; through this device, we aim for neurorehabilitation that involves the brain relearning how to move the body by repeating movements according to the wearer’s intent. MELTIN’s MELTz Hand Rehabilitation System is available for purchase.
  The system has received approval as a certified medical device. See here for more details.
  https://www.meltin.jp/en/products/medical/meltz/

• What is neurorehabilitation?

  It is a method of rehabilitation that is based on neuroscience. The expectation is for the brain to relearn how to move the body by rebuilding the pathways of the cranial nerves.

  Paralysis of the body and the reduced motor functions that accompany strokes occur due to damage to the areas of the brain associated with movement. Therefore, in order to recover their motor functions, patients must reconstruct different parts of the brain (separate from the part that has been damaged) and their brains must relearn methods of movement. We aim to offer neurorehabilitation by providing assistance for actions according to motor intent so as to stimulate the brain motor re-learning. The goal is the recovery of motor function by making use of the brain’s plasticity (the function that changes the brain’s activity to match the environment).

  

• What are the merits of the robotic neurorehabilitation device?

  The robot recognizes the movements that the person wearing the device is trying to make and assists them, making it conceivable that patients will be able to carry out more neurorehabilitation with increased efficacy.

  MELTIN’s robotic neurorehabilitation devices analyze the electric signals in muscles, recognizing the movement the person is trying to perform, and assisting that movement.
  Then, the device worn on the body assists them with these movements. As robots do not become fatigued, the device can provide accurate assistance for any number of repetitions of the same action.
  Utilizing a robot can offer more opportunities for rehabilitation, and we anticipate that this will stimulate the reconstruction of the neural network that conveys commands from the brain, and promote the recovery of body function.

  

Providing rehabilitation by combining three pioneering technologies

MELTIN is a venture company involved in cyborg projects that leverage our strengths in bio-signal and biomimetic robotic technology. The robotic neurorehabilitation device also aims to combine biological signals and our original algorithms that analyze bio-signals using AI, and carry out effective rehabilitation by accurately registering the intended movements of the wearer and providing assistance with firmly responsive movements.

Bio-Signal

AI analysis and algorithms

Biomimetic robotic

Bio-Signal

Feature 1

“Bio-signal” that offers real-time understanding

This device measures fine detail of myoelectric data—around 1,000 times per second—through sensors attached to the forearm. Myoelectricity is an electric signals in the muscles that convey the brain’s motor commands ．By providing high speed and highly accurate algorithms that convert this data to the robot’s movement, the robotic neurorehabilitation device can register the intentions of the user and support the movements of their body. This supports the re-education of the brain by offering instantaneous linking between intentions and movements.

AI analysis and algorithms

Feature 2

Analysis technology that uses original AI algorithms

The myoelectric data is analyzed using our original AI algorithms. These algorithms instantly identify whether the wearer is trying to open or close their fingers and assists their body movements within a timeframe appropriate for neurorehabilitation. The device offers motion assistance connected to effective rehabilitation through our new analysis technology tailored for neurorehabilitation.

Biomimetic robotic

Feature 3

“Biomimetic robotic technology” that offers dexterity and power

MELTIN uses robotic technology that reproduces the movements of the human body based on biomimetics. With this, it is possible to reproduce finger movements with delicateness, dexterity, and power. The “robotic neurorehabilitation device” can realize the “pinching” action that is vital to occupational therapy through the application of technology that reproduces these fine movements. The device worn on the body uses a wire-driven mechanism to enable strong movement, creating enough power to assist people with spasticity in opening their closed hands under their own strength.

A design that is easy to keep using
because it is simple, safe, and user-friendly

MELTIN’s “robotic neurorehabilitation device” is set up just by putting the motion assistance device on the fingers and attaching a sensor to the forearm. It is possible to adjust the size of the device according to the length of the fingers, making it highly wearable, and it can be used on either the left or right hand. The myoelectric analysis is complete within a minute of putting the device on, and the rehabilitation starts. The inside of the main body is equipped with motors to move the wires and a computer for analyzing bio-signals, ensuring that the motion assistance device worn on the hand is lightweight, weighing no more than 500 g. The device also ensures the safety of the wearer by controlling the power. In addition, individual finger control enables the wearer’s fingers to make various actions with differing speeds according to the wearer’s condition. Using the five-digit type makes it easy to carry out occupational therapy at varying degrees of difficulty, and reducing the components that cover the palm of the hand as much as possible for the wearer to feel the sensation of gripping something. The device is also characterized by an easily comprehensible, user-friendly UI (user interface).

What is MELTIN?

We are a venture company founded in 2013 that develops cyborg technology. Our original “bio-signal processing technology” and “robotic technology” that reproduces the human body serve as our two core technologies, and we are developing our cyborg business in this new area on two axes: avatars and medical device. In 2016, we were involved in the world’s first “Cyborg Olympics”; we announced our concept model, the avatar robot MELTANT-α, which uses robot technology, in 2018, and the MELTANT-β for field testing in actual working environments in 2020.

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