Exoskeleton Device for Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients Using SEMG during Isometric Contraction

2011 ◽  
Vol 403-408 ◽  
pp. 2033-2038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neelesh Kumar ◽  
Davinder Pal Singh ◽  
Dinesh Pankaj ◽  
Sanjeev Soni ◽  
Amod Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Rehabilitation Medicine ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Inherent Safety ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Structural Mechanism ◽  
Actuation System ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Assisting Device ◽  
Exoskeleton Design

Robots are becoming more interactive and assisting to human beings day by day. They are serving humanity in the fields of industry, defense and medicine. Exoskeletons are also devices that reside in category of wearable robotics. An exoskeleton is an external structural mechanism with joints and links corresponding to those of the human body. With applications in rehabilitation medicine and virtual reality simulation, exoskeletons offer benefits for both disabled and healthy populations. Exoskeletons can be used as a capability magnifier or assisting device. This paper presents a proposed design for smart active exoskeleton for lower limbs. This proposed exoskeleton design not only assist a person but also tries to improve its GAIT. The twin wearable legs are powered by Actuators, all controlled by a microprocessor. The simulation results of the control mechanism shows its smart capabilities. In addition, the processor based control produces a more natural muscle like activity and as such can be considered a soft and bio-mimetic actuation system. This capacity to “replicate” the function of natural muscle and inherent safety is extremely important when working in close proximity to humans. The integration of the components sections and testing of the performance will also be considered to show how the structure and actuators can be combined to produce the various systems needed for a highly flexible/low weight clinically viable rehabilitation exoskeleton.

Prevalência das Lesões Músculo-Esqueléticas em Trabalhadores Industriais: uma Revisão Integrativa da Literatura

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Carlos Gonçalves ◽  
Paulo Silva ◽  
Roberto Silva ◽  
Germano Couto
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Diseases ◽  
Musculoskeletal Injuries ◽  
The Body ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Printing Industry ◽  
Industrial Workers ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Muscle Injuries ◽  
Shoulder Region

Introduction According to the World Health Organization, in 2017, musculoskeletal diseases were the major contributors to global disability. Considering the exercise of functions in a professional context as an essential component in the daily life of human beings, it is in this environment that many of these injuries arise. The serious economic, labour and social repercussions that this type of injuries can cause brings us to the importance of analysing the current prevalence of these events in several industries, as well as the most affected body areas. Methods A literature search was carried out in the Pubmed and Web of Science databases, of articles published after 2015. The keywords used were “employee”, “skeletal muscle”, “injuries” and “industry/ sector”. This research resulted in 132 articles, of which 37 were revised to the full text and assessed their quality, which allowed the selection of 15 articles for a consequent analysis. Results Among the various industries, the tanning industry was the one with the highest global prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries (89.1%), 94.5% in females and 85% in males. In general, the prevalence of this type of injury in workers from different industries was around 70%. In most of the industries analysed (such as food, construction and textiles), the back/ lumbar area was the area most described as the origin of these injuries, with the exception of the printing industry, which reported a higher prevalence at the shoulder level. However, the back was the least identified region in the printing industry, being replaced, in this case, by the shoulder region. Discussion / Conclusion In general, and according to the data obtained, industrial workers are affected by a prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries that can vary between about 55% and 90%. The most affected regions of the body include the back, followed by shoulders, lower limbs and neck. The female sex was shown to be the most susceptible gender to contract musculoskeletal injuries, with respect to industrial workers.

Develop a Flexible Regenerative Exoskeleton to Assist Walking

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Longhan Xie ◽  
Xiaodong Li
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Lower Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
Negative Work ◽  
Lower Limb Muscles ◽  
Assisting Device

During walking, human lower limbs accelerate and decelerate alternately, during which period the human body does positive and negative work, respectively. Muscles provide power to all motions and cost metabolic energy both in accelerating and decelerating the lower limbs. In this work, the lower-limb biomechanics of walking was analyzed and it revealed that if the negative work performed during deceleration can be harnessed using some assisting device to then assist the acceleration movement of the lower limb, the total metabolic cost of the human body during walking can be reduced. A flexible lower-limb exoskeleton was then proposed; it is worn in parallel to the lower limbs to assist human walking without consuming external power. The flexible exoskeleton consists of elastic and damping components that are similar to physiological structure of a human lower limb. When worn on the lower limb, the exoskeleton can partly replace the function of the lower limb muscles and scavenge kinetic energy during lower limb deceleration to assist the acceleration movement. Besides, the generator in the exoskeleton, serving as a damping component, can harvest kinetic energy to produce electricity. A prototype of the flexible exoskeleton was developed, and experiments were carried out to validate the analysis. The experiments showed that the exoskeleton could reduce the metabolic cost by 3.12% at the walking speed of 4.5 km/h.

Devices for Rehabilitation Applications

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 103-112
Author(s):  
Simone Pittaccio ◽  
Stefano Viscuso ◽  
Lorenzo Garavaglia
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Shape Memory ◽  
Treatment Approach ◽  
Rehabilitation Medicine ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Clinical Tests ◽  
Related Field ◽  
Neurological Patients ◽  
Scientific Technical

Recent research is showing that Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) can be advantageously employed for a number of applications in Rehabilitation Medicine and the related field of Neuroscience. This innovative use of SMA was investigated with the specific aim of improving the treatment approach to neurological patients with sequelae from stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, etc. Several examples of devices built for this purpose will be presented together with an outline of the reasons why the shape-memory and pseudoelastic effects can be regarded as interesting resources on account of scientific, technical and clinical reasons. In particular the design and functioning of an SMA-based ankle exerciser and pseudoelastic repositioning splints for the upper and lower limbs will be discussed in relation with results of neurophysiologic and clinical tests. The main observations so far suggest that this type of devices is able to support patients’ physical rehabilitation by adapting to changing conditions and needs during functional recovery. Furthermore, due to their improved tolerability relative to traditional treatments SMA devices can be used for longer times and tend to produce interesting effects in the control of spastic syndromes.

Do mobile 'phones have a detrimental impact on auditory function?

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 822-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Khalil ◽  
D A Nunez
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Electromagnetic Fields ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Mobile Telephone ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Auditory Function ◽  
Mobile Telephones ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Detrimental Impact

Mobile telephones are now an integral part of modern telecommunications. The widespread use of mobile telephones has given rise to concern about the potential influences of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human health. The effects of EMFs on human beings are under investigation. Anatomically, the ear is in close proximity to the mobile telephone during use. The effect of mobile phones on auditory function has rarely been studied. The aim of this review is to determine if there is evidence that mobile phones have a detrimental effect on auditory function.

scholarly journals Medicinal Plants Used by Various Tribes of Bangladesh for Treatment of Malaria

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Rahmatullah ◽  
Shahadat Hossan ◽  
Afsana Khatun ◽  
Syeda Seraj ◽  
Rownak Jahan
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Plant Kingdom ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Disease Surveys ◽  
Forest Regions ◽  
Accompanying Symptoms

It has been estimated that 300–500 million malaria infections occur on an annual basis and causes fatality to millions of human beings. Most of the drugs used for treatment of malaria have developed drug-resistant parasites or have serious side effects. Plant kingdom has throughout the centuries proved to be efficient source of efficacious malarial drugs like quinine and artemisinin. Since these drugs have already developed or in the process of developing drug resistance, it is important to continuously search the plant kingdom for more effective antimalarial drugs. In this aspect, the medicinal practices of indigenous communities can play a major role in identification of antimalarial plants. Bangladesh has a number of indigenous communities or tribes, who because of their living within or in close proximity to mosquito-infested forest regions, have high incidences of malaria. Over the centuries, the tribal medicinal practitioners have treated malaria with various plant-based formulations. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among various tribes of Bangladesh to identify the plants that they use for treatment of the disease. Surveys were conducted among seven tribes, namely, Bawm, Chak, Chakma, Garo, Marma, Murong, and Tripura, who inhabit the southeastern or northcentral forested regions of Bangladesh. Interviews conducted with the various tribal medicinal practitioners indicated that a total of eleven plants distributed into 10 families were used for treatment of malaria and accompanying symptoms like fever, anemia, ache, vomiting, and chills. Leaves constituted 35.7% of total uses followed by roots at 21.4%. Other plant parts used for treatment included barks, seeds, fruits, and flowers. A review of the published scientific literature showed that a number of plants used by the tribal medicinal practitioners have been scientifically validated in their uses. Taken together, the plants merit further scientific research towards possible discovery of novel compounds that can be used to successfully treat malaria with less undesirable sideeffects.

scholarly journals Age-related changes of human serum Sirtuin6 in adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Xiangli Bai ◽  
Xiong Jia ◽  
Yajing Lu ◽  
Wenzhuo Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Serum Level ◽  
Histone Deacetylases ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Human Telomerase

Abstract Background Aging is a natural life process and with an aging population, age-related diseases (e.g. type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), atherosclerosis-based cardiovascular diseases) are the primary mortality cause in older adults. Telomerase is often used as an aging biomarker. Detection and characterization of novel biomarkers can help in a more specific and sensitive identification of a person’s aging status. Also, this could help in age-related diseases early prevent, ultimately prolonging the population’s life span. Sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) - a member of the Sirtuins NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases family - is mainly intracellularly expressed, and is reported to be involved in the regulation of aging and aging-related diseases. Whether serum Sirt6 is correlated with aging and could be used as an aging biomarker is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the age-related Sirt6 changes in the serum of human adults. Methods Participants were divided into three groups according to age: 20–30 years (Young); 45–55 years (Middle-aged); and ≥ 70 years (Old). The Sirt6 and telomerase serum concentrations were determined by ELISA. The Sirt6 and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in vessels from amputated human lower limbs were analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemical staining. The relationships between variables were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. Results The Sirt6 and telomerase serum levels reduced with an increase in age. A similar tendency was observed for Sirt6 and hTERT in the vessel. Serum levels of Sirt6 were higher in females compared with males. Pearson’s regression analysis revealed that the Sirt6 serum level positively correlated with telomerase (r = 0.5743) and both were significantly negatively correlated with age (r = − 0.5830 and r = − 0.5993, respectively). Conclusions We reported a negative correlation between serum Sirt6 concentration and aging in human beings. Therefore, the Sirt6 serum level is a potential sex-specific aging marker.

scholarly journals Reducing the energy cost of running using a lightweight, low-profile elastic exosuit

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaeha Yang ◽  
Junil Park ◽  
Jihun Kim ◽  
Sungjin Park ◽  
Giuk Lee
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
The Body ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
Spatiotemporal Parameters ◽  
Flexion Moment ◽  
Profile Design

Abstract Background Human beings can enhance their distance running performance with the help of assistive devices. Although several such devices are available, they are heavy and bulky, which limits their use in everyday activities. In this study, we developed a lightweight running assistive device with a low-profile design. The device applies a flexion moment to the hip according to the hip extension within a specific range of motion to assist running. Methods A passive exosuit was fabricated using textile materials and elastic bands. The deformation of the suit was measured and compensated for in the design. The fabricated suit was tested on eight participants (age: 24.4 ± 3.8 y; height: 1.72 ± 0.05 m; weight: 74.5 ± 6.1 kg) who were instructed to run on a treadmill at a speed of 2.5 m/s. Through indirect calorimetry, the metabolic rate was measured for the no-suit condition and three band conditions. Variations in the spatiotemporal parameters were measured using a motion capture system and force-sensing resistors (FSRs). Results When using the fabricated device, seven out of the eight participants exhibited a reduced metabolic rate in at least one of the three band conditions. An average reduction of − 4.7 ± 1.4% (mean ± standard error of the mean (s.e.m.), two-sided paired t-test, p = 0.017) was achieved when using the best-fitting bands compared to the average of the two no-suit conditions. No statistically significant changes were observed in the spatiotemporal parameters, except for the stance duration in the medium assistance force condition. Conclusions The proposed passive exosuit, which has a low weight of 609 g and small extrusion of 2.5 cm from the body in standing posture, can reduce the metabolic rate during running. The proposed device can potentially be used every day owing to its low-profile design and low weight, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing portable devices targeting the hip joints.

scholarly journals Method, Design, and Evaluation of an Exoskeleton for Lifting a Load In Situ

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Weihao Li ◽  
Qiang Li
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Hydraulic Cylinder ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Force Analysis ◽  
Motion Process ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Exoskeleton Design ◽  
Specific Scenario ◽  
Active Assistance

Due to the unclear application scenarios and force analysis of exoskeletons, there exists a research gap in exoskeleton design. This paper presents a design method and realization of an exoskeleton for a specific scenario of lifting a load in situ. Firstly, the lifting motion process and its data were collected based on a 3-D motion capture system and dynamometer treadmill system. Then, the variations of the torque and motion of each joint were obtained from the data analysis, based on which an active assistance mode for upper limbs and a passive assistance mode for lower limbs were demonstrated. In this design, the hydraulic cylinder for shoulder assistance, the motor for elbow assistance, and the spring for lower limb assistance were calculated and selected according to the motion and torque of each joint. Finally, subjective and objective methods were used to evaluate the exoskeleton based on the results of five test participants, and the median oxygen consumption of the whole test by lifting a load ten times with the assistance was found to be reduced by 9.45% as compared with that in the absence of the exoskeleton.

scholarly journals Biped Gait Analysis based on Forward Kinematics Modeling using Quaternions Algebra

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
J. C. González-Islas ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gait Analysis ◽  
Sports Medicine ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Human Gait ◽  
Forward Kinematics ◽  
Mathematical Tool ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Kinematics Modeling ◽  
Flexion Extension

Gait is the main locomotion way for human beings as an autonomous decision. Due to the increase in people with walking disabilities, the precision in gait analysis for purposes in clinical diagnosis, sports medicine or biomechanical research for the design of assistive technologies is of special relevance. The literature reports notable contributions in technological developments with diverse applications; and in some cases, algorithms for characterization and gait analysis; however, more studies related to gait kinematics are necessary, such as the solution proposed in this work. In this paper, we focus on studying the forward kinematics of the lower limbs in human gait, using in a novel way quaternions algebra as mathematical tool and comparative analysis with classical methods is established. Gait analysis unlike other works is carried out by evaluating the rotational and tilting movements of the pelvis, flexion-extension of the hip and knee; as well as dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the ankle. Finally, an assessment of normal, mild crouch and severe crouch gaits in the three anatomical planes is performed; and a metric based on the Euclidean norm in the cartesian space is used to evaluate these gaits.

Basic Tenets of Separation Theory

2019 ◽  
pp. 002216781988921
Author(s):  
Robert W. Firestone
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Reference Population ◽  
Interpersonal Trauma ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Negative Thought ◽  
Separation Theory ◽  
Parent Child Interactions ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Group Experience

This article outlines the basic tenets of separation theory, including the fantasy bond and the voice process. The fantasy bond is a unifying concept explaining how human beings seek security in fantasies of fusion in an attempt to heal the fracture related to interpersonal trauma compounded by death anxiety. Painful elements in parent–child interactions are incorporated in the form of a negative thought process or “voice,” creating a division in the personality between the self and the anti-self. My colleagues and I developed a methodology called “voice therapy” to expose and contend with people’s destructive attitudes and attacks on themselves. The article also describes the evolution of a group of more than 100 associates and friends who have lived in close proximity and shared their innermost feelings in an ongoing group experience for more than 40 years. These people contributed significantly to the evolution of separation theory. Together, we developed an implicit set of values based on understanding factors that hurt people in their psychological development. The article specifies the concepts learned from observing the reference population and delineates findings from research in the neurosciences, attachment theory, and terror management theory that validate the key concepts of separation theory.

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