Development of a Mechatronic System for the Mirror Therapy

This paper fits into the field of research concerning robotic systems for rehabilitation. Robotic systems are going to be increasingly used to assist fragile persons and to perform rehabilitation tasks for persons affected by motion injuries. Among the recovery therapies, the mirror therapy was shown to be effective for the functional recovery of an arm after stroke. In this paper we present a master/slave robotic device based on the mirror therapy paradigm for wrist rehabilitation. The device is designed to orient the affected wrist in real time according to the imposed motion of the healthy wrist. The paper shows the kinematic analysis of the system, the numerical simulations, an experimental mechatronic set-up, and a built 3D-printed prototype.

A Parallel Robot with Torque Monitoring for Brachial Monoparesis Rehabilitation Tasks

Robots for rehabilitation tasks require a high degree of safety for the interaction with both the patients and for the operators. In particular, high safety is a stable and intuitive control of the moving elements of the system combined with an external system of sensors able to monitor the position of every aspect of the rehabilitation system (operator, robot, and patient) and overcome in a certain measure all the events that may occur during the robotic rehabilitation procedure. This paper presents the development of an internal torque monitoring system for ASPIRE. This is a parallel robot designed for shoulder rehabilitation, which enables the use of strategies towards developing a HRI (human–robot interaction) system for the therapy. A complete analysis regarding the components of the robotic system is carried out with the purpose of determining the dynamic behavior of the system. Next, the proposed torque monitoring system is developed with respect to the previously obtained data. Several experimental tests are performed using healthy subjects being equipped with a series of biomedical sensors with the purpose of validating the proposed torque monitoring strategy and, at the same time, to satisfy the degree of safety that is requested by the medical procedure.

Intermittent Sequential Pneumatic Compression Improves Coupling between Cerebral Oxyhaemoglobin and Arterial Blood Pressure in Patients with Cerebral Infarction

This study aims to explore the effect of intermittent sequential pneumatic compression (ISPC) intervention on the coupling relationship between arterial blood pressure (ABP) and changes in oxyhaemoglobin (Δ [O2Hb]). The coupling strength between the two physiological systems was estimated using a coupling function based on dynamic Bayesian inference. The participants were 22 cerebral infarction patients and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Compared with resting state, the coupling strength from ABP to Δ [O2Hb] oscillations was significantly lower in the bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), sensorimotor cortex (SMC), and temporal lobe cortex (TLC) during the ISPC intervention in cerebral infarction patients in interval II. Additionally, the coupling strength was significantly lower in the bilateral SMC in both groups in interval III. These findings indicate that ISPC intervention may facilitate cerebral circulation in the bilateral PFC, SMC, and TLC in cerebral infarction patients. ISPC may promote motor function recovery through its positive influences on motor-related networks. Furthermore, the coupling between Δ [O2Hb] and ABP allows non-invasive assessments of autoregulatory function to quantitatively assess the effect of rehabilitation tasks and to guide therapy in clinical situations.

Virtual Reality-Based Framework to Simulate Control Algorithms for Robotic Assistance and Rehabilitation Tasks through a Standing Wheelchair

The implementation of control algorithms oriented to robotic assistance and rehabilitation tasks for people with motor disabilities has been of increasing interest in recent years. However, practical implementation cannot be carried out unless one has the real robotic system availability. To overcome this drawback, this article presents the development of an interactive virtual reality (VR)-based framework that allows one to simulate the execution of rehabilitation tasks and robotic assistance through a robotic standing wheelchair. The virtual environment developed considers the kinematic and dynamic model of the standing human–wheelchair system with a displaced center of mass, since it can be displaced for different reasons, e.g.,: bad posture, limb amputations, obesity, etc. The standing wheelchair autonomous control scheme has been implemented through the Full Simulation (FS) and Hardware in the Loop (HIL) techniques. Finally, the performance of the virtual control schemes has been shown by means of several experiments based on robotic assistance and rehabilitation for people with motor disabilities.

Methodology for the Selection of Trenchless Sewer Rehabilitation Technologies in Bogotá, Colombia

Context: Operational and/or structural failures in sewer networks lead network operators to carry out rehabilitation tasks to maintain water transport conditions, which is why it is necessary to decide on the type of intervention to be performed, that is, i) a traditional open-ditch procedure, or ii) the use of trenchless rehabilitation technologies. Objective: This article focuses on the methodology developed and implemented in the SELECTOR program, whose purpose is to provide public service companies responsible for sewer service, as well as related professionals, with a decision tool that answers, from a technical perspective, which of the analyzed trenchless rehabilitation technologies (pipe bursting, cured-in-place pipe, slip lining, and spiral wound) is the most suitable for the rehabilitation of sewer networks. Method: To this effect, it is necessary ​​to consider all the influence parameters at the time of sewer rehabilitation, define the application ranges of these trenchless technologies, extract the differential variables, use fuzzy logic verbalization, determine the priority and relationship between the variables using the data mining technique known as decision trees, and develop the SELECTOR program by means of the Visual Studio 2017® platform. Results: The differential variables for decisions regarding the application of trenchless rehabilitation technologies in underground sewerage infrastructure projects were identified. A graphic summary of the decision model was made using the verbalization diagrams and the SELECTOR program, which allows processing the information of the sewerage networks individually and for a whole sewer rehabilitation project, detailing the intervention collector to collector. Conclusions: There are eight differential variables when deciding on sewer rehabilitation. Verbalization diagrams allow to compress the decision model and facilitate its programming, and automated decision models increase effectiveness and transparency in construction processes.

Resocjalizacja skazanych z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w stopniu lekkim z perspektywy dozoru kuratorskiego

In Poland, the function of social rehabilitation for convicts with intellectual disabilities is implemented by both: the penitentiary and probation system. In prisons there are therapeutic departments adapted to the needs of prisoners’ disabilities. In community supervision, methodology of working with offenders with intellectual disabilities is not regulated by any procedures. This paper presents results of a research focused on the probation service supervision of offenders with mild intellectual disabilities. Difficulties in implementing social rehabilitation tasks, methodology of probation officers’ work, as well as legislative proposals that may improve the probation system in Poland for offenders with mild intellectual disabilities are indicated. The study is based on qualitative methods using the focus panel method. The research group are probation officers for adults from the District Court for Bydgoszcz. The data is analyzed using legal provisions regulating probation service, as well as selected theories and concepts of special education and social rehabilitations of convicts.