Jilin University Announces Transfer of a Novel Rehabilitation Exercise Device for Interventional Care at RMB 300,000

Recently, the Office of Scientific Research at Jilin University released a public notice on technology transfer, proposing to transfer a technology titled“A Rehabilitation Exercise Device for Interventional Nursing Care”transfer of invention patents, with the contract amount priced by agreement at RMBRMB 300,000。

The R&D team for the patents being transferred in this transaction, with the project leader and inventor affiliated with the Third Hospital of the Clinical Medical College of Jilin University,Zhang Hongwei, andBai Yanling, Hu Haixiaet al. Drawing on frontline clinical nursing practice and addressing the rehabilitation needs of patients following interventional therapy, Zhang Hongwei spearheaded the development of this patented technology.

Its core innovation lies in effectively overcoming the limited range of motion inherent in traditional lower-limb rehabilitation equipment by leveraging a unique mechanical transmission system. The lead screw and gear transmission components within the device drive the patient’s foot through stable circular motions.

Overall, this is a practical invention that translates frontline clinical observations into concrete solutions. Through multi-joint linkage and safety assurance design, it is dedicated to improving the rehabilitation quality and experience of patients after interventional procedures.

Interventional Radiology is a relatively new and cutting-edge department in hospitals, adopting a minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment model. It is positioned between traditional pharmacological therapy and open surgery. Specifically, interventional procedures are generally performed under real-time guidance from medical imaging equipment, such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Physicians utilize minimally invasive instruments, such as needles and catheters, to reach the lesion site via natural vascular or luminal pathways, or through small percutaneous incisions, for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

Although this minimally invasive approach significantly reduces surface trauma, patients typically still require a period of postoperative bed rest after undergoing interventional surgery. This immobilization period is essential for stabilizing the puncture site and preventing complications such as bleeding. However, prolonged bed rest produces a notable adverse effect, namely the emergence of"Disuse"Decline in physical function. This impact is particularly pronounced in patients who have undergone lower limb surgery or require focused attention on leg function due to other reasons.

Legs, especially weight-bearing joints such as the hips and knees, rely on regular activity for healthy function. Prolonged bed rest in patients, resulting in a lack of regular active and passive joint movement, leads to reduced secretion of synovial fluid within the joint capsule.

Synovial fluid plays a crucial role in lubricating articular cartilage and facilitating nutrient exchange. Insufficient synovial fluid secretion increases friction during joint movement, resulting in a sensation of "stiffness," medically referred to as joint stiffness. This not only causes discomfort but also delays functional recovery.

Currently, some leg rehabilitation training devices commonly used in clinical practice are primarily designed for the knee joint. Their working principle typically involves using simple mechanical linkages or slider structures to drive the patient's lower leg through flexion and extension movements in the sagittal plane, commonly referred to as "knee bending." This single-plane movement does indeed mobilize the knee joint, preventing it from becoming completely stiff.

However, the limitation of such devices is that their motion design typically extends only to the knee joint. The hip joint, located at the root of the lower limbs, along with the bones and muscle groups constituting the pelvic region, are rarely engaged effectively during such training.

However, the hip and pelvic regions serve as critical hubs for lower limb blood circulation and neural innervation. Prolonged immobility leads to the loss of the muscle pump effect in this area, slowing venous return from the lower extremities and causing blood stasis. This not only impairs local tissue metabolism and repair but also increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Therefore, a rehabilitation protocol focusing solely on knee joint mobilization is incomplete. Such a regimen fails to effectively promote blood circulation in the proximal thigh and pelvic regions, and it is also insufficient for maintaining hip joint range of motion and the tone of the surrounding muscle groups.

This localized and isolated training pattern significantly undermines the effectiveness of comprehensive rehabilitation, failing to meet the actual clinical needs for patients to safely, efficiently, and comprehensively restore lower limb function. It is precisely in view of this limitation in existing clinical protocols that new rehabilitation exercise devices have been conceived and designed.

The design of this patentRehabilitation Exercise Device for Nursing in Interventional Radiology Department, its core advantage lies in leveragingAn Integrated Mechanical System, achieving a breakthrough in the coordinated rehabilitation of the lower limbs and back for postoperative patients. This device is no longer limited to simple flexion and extension of a single joint, but instead creates an active rehabilitation environment that aligns with the physiological characteristics of multi-joint linkage.

The core training mechanism of the device innovatively employs“Circular Motion” Trajectory, the key lies in the precise coordination between a set of transmission components and a limiting mechanism. Specifically, the rotation of the drive screw engages and drives a gear, whose side is connected to the motion plate that supports the patient's foot. To ensure that the motion plate stably follows a predetermined circular trajectory rather than swinging arbitrarily, two sets of limiting elements are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the device.

Each set of limiting components comprises a preloaded spring, a sliding positioning rod, and a terminal ball. This assembly functions as an intelligent guide rail. During the movement of the motion plate, the spring force is transmitted through the positioning rod and the ball to continuously press the edge of the motion plate against the track surface of the main body.

This constant lateral constraining force ensures that the posture of the motion plate is firmly restricted during gear-driven rotation, thereby enabling stable, vertical circular translation. It is this controlled circular motion that naturally and synchronously drives the patient’s ankle, knee, and hip joints (i.e., the root joints of the thighs), achieving multi-joint composite movement and effectively simulating certain phases of gait motion.

While ensuring training efficacy, the device places paramount importance on safety, which is primarily reflected inFoot Fixation Designaspect. The fixation device consists of a footrest equipped with a soft inner cushion and an elastic foot sleeve. The foot sleeve is connected to the upper part via a spring, forming a flexible restraint.

Once the patient places their foot on the footrest, pressing down on the foot sleeve secures it in place. This fixation mechanism relies on spring-loaded elasticity rather than rigid locking, thereby preventing the foot from slipping out during circular motions to avoid potential hazards, while also avoiding excessive tightness that could impair blood circulation or cause pressure injuries. Additionally, the internal cushioning further enhances comfort and protective performance.

In addition to lower-limb training, a significant advantage of this patent lies in its integration ofPassive Back Blood-Activating Massage Mechanism. By means of a sophisticated linkage mechanism, the device converts the circular motion of the aforementioned motion plate into horizontal reciprocating movement of a massage unit across the patient’s back. The rollers on the massage unit deliver continuous rolling compression to the dorsal muscle groups, thereby promoting local blood circulation.

What is more ingenious is that, on this basis, the deviceIncorporated a mechanism that mimics manual percussionInside the massage box, a pinion gear is engaged with an external fixed rack. As the massage box moves back and forth, this pinion rotates in alternating directions. The rotation of the gear is converted into the lifting and releasing of a pull rod via a linkage rod.

The lower end of the pull rod is connected to a massage hammer, with the two linked via a specialized control block and a torsion spring. When the pull rod is lifted, the massage hammer is pressed downward, simultaneously compressing an energy-storing spring. Once the pull rod reaches a specific height, the control block suddenly rotates and disengages under mechanical force, causing the massage hammer to rapidly spring upward driven by the stored energy in the spring, thereby striking the patient’s back. This “energy storage–release” mechanism creates a rhythmic tapping sensation that can stimulate tissues more deeply. Combined with rolling massage, it effectively alleviates lower back soreness and distension caused by prolonged bed rest, further enhancing the overall effectiveness and comfort of rehabilitation.

In summary, the advantage of this patented device lies in its ability to translate complex clinical rehabilitation needs into an automated and integrated mechanical solution. It optimizes rehabilitation outcomes for multiple lower-limb joints by generating controlled circular motion, ensures training safety through elastic fixation, and incorporates a passive back massage function via an ingenious power transmission mechanism. All these designs aim toward a single goal: to provide a more comprehensive, safe, and efficient early rehabilitation intervention during patients’ postoperative bed rest.

Driven by the innovative design of the aforementioned device, this novel design philosophy—which is oriented toward precisely addressing critical clinical pain points and transforming complex needs into integrated, automated instruments—has also spurred more enterprises and institutions to engage in continuous exploration within the broader field of intelligent rehabilitation and clinical assistive devices.

For example, as a key project for the translation of scientific and technological achievements from Huashan Hospital and Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai Haimeikang Intelligent Medical CompanySuccessfully developed and launched China’s first product to obtain a medical device registration certificateNeural Interface-Driven Hand Function Assistance System(i.e., hand exoskeleton).

Resembling an ordinary glove in appearance, this product’s technological core lies in its self-developed neural interface module, which precisely acquires electromyographic (EMG) signals from the patient’s forearm to identify movement intentions such as “reaching out” or “making a fist.” It then drives an exoskeleton to assist in completing grasping actions, achieving a significant breakthrough in rehabilitation models by transitioning from passive traction to active intention-based control by the patient.

Clinical data indicate that the mean improvement in motor function scores for patients using this device can reach 69.29% compared to when not using it.

Currently, the product officially received its medical device registration certificate from the National Medical Products Administration in January 2026, marking the completion of all research and development and clinical validation processes and its entry into the commercialization phase. Furthermore, the product has partnered with healthcare institutions to establish a smart rehabilitation research base, beginning to provide services to a broad population of patients with hand functional impairments, such as those resulting from stroke.

For another example,Jingrui MedicalSuccessfully developed in the field of exoskeleton rehabilitation robots for strokeStroke Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot. This product is the first lower-limb exoskeleton robot in China to enter the Special Approval Procedure for Innovative Medical Devices of the National Medical Products Administration, indicating that its technological advancement and originality have been recognized byNational Levelrecognition. By simulating the gait trajectory of normal human walking, this robot provides precise, repetitive, and quantified gait training for patients with lower-limb motor dysfunction after stroke. Its innovation lies in the application of intelligent sensing and adaptive control technologies, which enable dynamic adjustment of assistance levels based on the patient’s real-time condition.

Currently, this achievement has entered a mature stage of productization and commercialization, not only successfully launched on the market but also domestically>1,000Widely adopted by hospitals and exported globallyOver 30 countries, entered the stage of large-scale market application.

In summary, the future development trajectory of the industry has become increasingly clear. On one hand, technology is undergoing deep integration toward intelligence and precision; for instance, combining AI algorithms, brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, and robotics to achieve personalized, adaptive rehabilitation training has emerged as a definitive R&D direction. On the other hand, application scenarios are expanding toward home-based and primary-care settings. Remote rehabilitation, portable devices, and solutions tailored for community and home environments are gradually breaking down the traditional temporal and spatial constraints of rehabilitation care.