Design and human–machine compatibility analysis of Co-Exos II for upper-limb rehabilitation

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-726
Author(s):  
Leiyu Zhang ◽  
Jianfeng Li ◽  
Shuting Ji ◽  
Peng Su ◽  
Chunjing Tao ◽  
...  

Purpose Upper-limb joint kinematics are highly complex and the kinematics of rehabilitation exoskeletons fail to reproduce them, resulting in hyperstaticity and human–machine incompatibility. The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a compatible exoskeleton robot (Co-Exos II) to address these problems. Design/methodology/approach The configuration synthesis of Co-Exos II is completed using advanced mechanism theory. A compatible configuration is selected and four passive joints are introduced into the connecting interfaces based on optimal configuration principles. A Co-Exos II prototype with nine degrees of freedom (DOFs) is developed and still owns a compact structure and volume. A new approach is presented to compensate the vertical glenohumeral (GH) movements. Co-Exos II and the upper arm are simplified as a guide-bar mechanism at the elevating plane. The theoretical displacements of passive joints are calculated by the kinematic model of the shoulder loop. The compatible experiments are completed to measure the kinematics of passive joints. Findings The compatible configuration of the passive joints can effectively reduce the gravity influences of the exoskeleton device and the upper extremities. The passive joints exhibit excellent compensation effect for the GH joint movements by comparing the theoretical and measured results. Passive joints can compensate for most GH movements, especially vertical movements. Originality/value Co-Exos II possesses good human–machine compatibility and wearable comfort for the affected upper limbs. The proposed compensation method is convenient to therapists and stroke patients during the rehabilitation trainings.

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Francisco Ayala Lozano ◽  
Guillermo Urriolagoitia Sosa ◽  
Beatriz Romero Ángeles ◽  
Christopher René Torres San-Miguel ◽  
Luis Antonio Aguilar-Pérez ◽  
...  

<strong>Título en ingles: Mechanical design of an exoskeleton for upper limb rehabilitation</strong><p><strong>Título corto: Diseño mecánico de un exoesqueleto</strong></p><p><strong>Resumen:</strong> El ritmo de vida actual, tanto sociocultural como tecnológico, ha desembocado en un aumento de enfermedades y padecimientos que afectan las capacidades físico-motrices de los individuos. Esto ha originado el desarrollo de prototipos para auxiliar al paciente a recuperar la movilidad y la fortaleza de las extremidades superiores afectadas. El presente trabajo aborda el diseño de una estructura mecánica de un exoesqueleto con 4 grados de libertad para miembro superior. La cual tiene como principales atributos la capacidad de ajustarse a la antropometría del paciente mexicano (longitud del brazo, extensión del antebrazo, condiciones geométricas de la espalda y altura del paciente). Se aplicó el método <em>BLITZ QFD</em> para obtener el diseño conceptual óptimo y establecer adecuadamente las condiciones de carga de servicio. Por lo que, se definieron 5 casos de estudio cuasi-estáticos e implantaron condiciones para rehabilitación de los pacientes. Asimismo, mediante el Método de Elemento Finito (MEF) se analizaron los esfuerzos y deformaciones a los que la estructura está sometida durante la aplicación de los agentes externos de servicio. Los resultados presentados en éste trabajo exhiben una nueva propuesta para la rehabilitación de pacientes con problemas de movilidad en miembro superior. Donde el equipo propuesto permite la rehabilitación del miembro superior apoyado en 4 grados de libertad (tres grados de libertad en el hombro y uno en el codo), el cual es adecuado para realizar terapias activas y pasivas. Asimismo, es un dispositivo que está al alcance de un mayor porcentaje de la población por su bajo costo y fácil desarrollo en la fabricación.</p><p><strong>Palabras clave:</strong> MEF, Blitz QFD, exoesqueletos, diseño mecánico.</p><p><strong>Abstract</strong>: The pace of modern life, both socio-cultural and technologically, has led to an increase of diseases and conditions that affect the physical-motor capabilities of persons. This increase has originated the development of prototypes to help patients to regain mobility and strength of the affected upper limb. This work, deals with the mechanical structure design of an exoskeleton with 4 degrees freedom for upper limb. Which has the capacity to adjust to the Mexican patient anthropometry (arm length, forearm extension, geometry conditions of the back and the patient’s height) BLITZ QFD method was applied to establish the conceptual design and loading service conditions on the structure.  So, 5 quasi-static cases of study were defined and conditions for patient rehabilitation were subjected. Also by applying the finite element method the structure was analyzed due to service loading. The results presented in this work, show a new method for patient rehabilitation with mobility deficiencies in the upper limb. The proposed new design allows the rehabilitation of the upper limb under 4 degrees of freedom (tree degrees of freedom at shoulder and one at the elbow), which is perfect to perform active and passive therapy. Additionally, it is an equipment of low cost, which can be affordable to almost all the country population.</p><p><strong>Key words:</strong> FEM, Blitz QFD, exoskeletons, mechanical design<strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>Recibido:</strong> agosto 20 de 2014   <strong>Aprobado:</strong> marzo 26 de 2015</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yali Liu ◽  
Chong Li ◽  
Linhong Ji ◽  
Sheng Bi ◽  
Xuemin Zhang ◽  
...  

Numerous robots have been widely used to deliver rehabilitative training for hemiplegic patients to improve their functional ability. Because of the complexity and diversity of upper limb motion, customization of training patterns is one key factor during upper limb rehabilitation training. Most of the current rehabilitation robots cannot intelligently provide adaptive training parameters, and they have not been widely used in clinical rehabilitation. This article proposes a new end-effector upper limb rehabilitation robot, which is a two-link robotic arm with two active degrees of freedom. This work investigated the kinematics and dynamics of the robot system, the control system, and the realization of different rehabilitation therapies. We also explored the influence of constraint in rehabilitation therapies on interaction force and muscle activation. The deviation of the trajectory of the end effector and the required trajectory was less than 1 mm during the tasks, which demonstrated the movement accuracy of the robot. Besides, results also demonstrated the constraint exerted by the robot provided benefits for hemiplegic patients by changing muscle activation in the way similar to the movement pattern of the healthy subjects, which indicated that the robot can improve the patient’s functional ability by training the normal movement pattern.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Miao ◽  
Mingming Zhang ◽  
Yupu Wang ◽  
Sheng Q. Xie

This paper proposed a bilateral upper-limb rehabilitation device (BULReD) with two degrees of freedom (DOFs). The BULReD is portable for both hospital and home environment, easy to use for therapists and patients, and safer with respect to upper-limb robotic exoskeletons. It was implemented to be able to conduct both passive and interactive training, based on system kinematics and dynamics, as well as the identification of real-time movement intention of human users. Preliminary results demonstrate the potential of the BULReD for clinical applications, with satisfactory position and interaction force tracking performance. Future work will focus on the clinical evaluation of the BULReD on a large sample of poststroke patients.


Rehabilitation of patients suffering from post-stroke injuries via robots is now adapted word widely. The aim of this therapy is to restore and improve the dysfunction and the performance of the affected limbs doing repetitive tasks with the help of rehabilitation robots, as robots are best way to perform repetitive task without any monotony failure. Control of these rehabilitation robots is an important part to consider because of nonlinearity and uncertainty of the system. This paper presents nonlinear sliding mode controller (SMC) for controlling a 2 degrees of freedom (DOF) upper limb robotic manipulator. Sliding mode control is able to handle system uncertainties and parametric changes. One drawback of using SMC is high frequency oscillations called as chattering. This chattering can be reduced by using boundary layer technique. Experiments have been carried out under perturbed conditions and results have shown that SMC performs well and remain stable and thus proves to robust controller for upper limb robotic manipulator.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-233
Author(s):  
Javier Fernando Garnica-Molina ◽  
Juan Nicolás Bustos-Ramírez ◽  
Jessica Zuleima Parrado-Agudelo ◽  
Cristian Mauricio Casallas-Contreras ◽  
Luis Miguel Méndez-Moreno

In the upper limb rehabilitation field, assisting to various patients per day, in different kinds of therapies is an exhausting task which can be achieved in a semiautomated or automated manner.  The ExPro is an exoskeleton of 3 degrees of freedom designed and created to support rehabilitation treatments for patients with little or no mobility in their arms. The device consists in a machine able to move forearm and wrist according to prone-supination, ulnar and radial deflection and flex-extension of wrist movements. The proposed prototype was designed to assist therapists in the first step of rehabilitation treatments, thus, passive therapies. Each mechanical component was designed in the Inventor 3D software and printed on PLA materials (polylactic acid). The controlling step is a Raspberry Pi 3 that receives information, interprets and connects power, and control PCBs. The design and calculations were tasted with the finite elements tool of inventor software. The work result presents an exoskeleton prototype easy to operate and transport, safe for the patient and able to carry out several preprogramed movements.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Cao ◽  
Jianfeng Li ◽  
Mingjie Dong

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate three categories of four-degrees of freedom (4-DOFs) upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton mechanisms from the perspective of relative movement offsets between the upper limb and the exoskeleton, so as to provide reference for the selection of exoskeleton mechanism configurations. Design/methodology/approach According to the configuration synthesis and optimum principles of 4-DOFs upper limb exoskeleton mechanisms, three categories of exoskeletons compatible with upper limb were proposed. From the perspective of human exoskeleton closed chain, through reasonable decomposition and kinematic characteristics analysis of passive connective joints, the kinematic equations of three categories exoskeletons were established and inverse position solution method were addressed. Subsequently, three indexes, which can represent the relative movement offsets of human–exoskeleton were defined. Findings Based on the presented position solution and evaluation indexes, the joint displacements and relative movement offsets of the three exoskeletons during eating movement were compared, on which the kinematic characteristics were investigated. The results indicated that the second category of exoskeleton was more suitable for upper limb rehabilitation than the other two categories. Originality/value This paper has a certain reference value for the selection of the 4-DOFs upper extremity rehabilitation exoskeleton mechanism configurations. The selected exoskeleton can ensure the safety and comfort of stroke patients with upper limb dyskinesia during rehabilitation training.


2011 ◽  
Vol 474-476 ◽  
pp. 1315-1320
Author(s):  
Xiang Li Cheng ◽  
Yi Qi Zhou ◽  
Cui Peng Zuo ◽  
Xiao Hua Fan

To assist stroke patients with rehabilitation training, an upper limb rehabilitation robot with an exoskeleton structure and three degrees of freedom (DOF) was developed in this paper. Under the guidance of the theory of rehabilitation medicine, the mechanical design of the robot was completed. Then, the kinematics equations were established by means of homogeneous transformation, including the forward kinematics and the inverse kinematics. The kinematical analysis was carried out and the algebraic solution of inverse kinematics was derived, which provided a theoretical basis for realizing the intelligent control. To validate the performance, the kinematical simulation was conducted, and the simulation results showed that the design of the exoskeleton robot was feasible.


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