Design and evaluation of a parallel cable-driven shoulder mechanism with series springs

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
Pengpeng Xu ◽  
Juncheng Li ◽  
Shuoyu Li ◽  
Dan Xia ◽  
Ziniu Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Power Transmission ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Compact Structure ◽  
Squeeze Pressure ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Upper Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
The Stability

Abstract Upper limb paralysis and movement disorders resulting from neurologic injuries can be treated with an upper limb exoskeleton robot that assists with movement retraining. Cable-driven exoskeletons have been widely studied because of their lightness, compact structure, low cost, and long-distance power transmission. However, the problems of shoulder squeeze force and system stability have not been solved. In this article, we present a prototype parallel cable-driven shoulder mechanism with series springs. The theoretical analysis suggests that the stability of the mechanism is improved compared with that of the previous mechanism, and the effects of stiffness, upper limb weight, and mechanism parameters on the shoulder joint extrusion pressure are analyzed by simulation and experimental results. The results show that this mechanism plays an important role in reducing or eliminating the shoulder squeeze pressure and improving the stability of the mechanism. Moreover, the mechanism has good portability and can be combined with other exoskeletons to facilitate various robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation training.

Configuration Design and Simulation of Exoskeleton for Upper Limb Rehabilitation Train

2014 ◽  
Vol 701-702 ◽  
pp. 654-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Ji Liang Jiang ◽  
Li Yuan Zhang ◽  
Rui Rui Shen
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Motion Simulation ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Upper Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Kinematics Simulation ◽  
Motion Process ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

A new upper limb exoskeleton mechanical structure for rehabilitation train and electric putters were used to drive the upper limb exoskeleton and kinematics simulation was carried. According to the characteristics of upper limb exoskeleton, program control and master - slave control two different ways were presented. Motion simulation analysis had been done by Pro/E Mechanism, the motion data of electric putter and major joints had been extracted. Based on the analysis of the movement data it can effectively guide the electric putter control and analysis upper limb exoskeleton motion process.

scholarly journals Diseño mecánico de un exoesqueleto para rehabilitación de miembro superior

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 ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Mexican Patient ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

<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>

Parallel Articulated-Cable Exercise Robot (PACER): Novel Home-Based Cable-Driven Parallel Platform Robot for Upper Limb Neuro-Rehabilitation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliakbar Alamdari ◽  
Venkat Krovi
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Parallel Architecture ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Tensile Forces ◽  
Parallel Platform

This paper examines the design, analysis and control of a novel hybrid articulated-cable parallel platform for upper limb rehabilitation in three dimensional space. The proposed lightweight, low-cost, modular reconfigurable parallel-architecture robotic device is comprised of five cables and a single linear actuator which connects a six degrees-of-freedom moving platform to a fixed base. This novel design provides an attractive architecture for implementation of a home-based rehabilitation device as an alternative to bulky and expensive serial robots. The manuscript first examines the kinematic analysis prior to developing the dynamic equations via the Newton-Euler formulation. Subsequently, different spatial motion trajectories are prescribed for rehabilitation of subjects with arm disabilities. A low-level trajectory tracking controller is developed to achieve the desired trajectory performance while ensuing that the unidirectional tensile forces in the cables are maintained. This is now evaluated via a simulation case-study and the development of a physical testbed is underway.

scholarly journals Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robot Powered by PAMs Cooperates with FES Arrays to Realize Reach-to-Grasp Trainings

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xikai Tu ◽  
Hualin Han ◽  
Jian Huang ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
Chen Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Hand Function ◽  
Rehabilitation Robot ◽  
Reach To Grasp ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Highly Nonlinear ◽  
Rehabilitation System ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

The reach-to-grasp activities play an important role in our daily lives. The developed RUPERT for stroke patients with high stiffness in arm flexor muscles is a low-cost lightweight portable exoskeleton rehabilitation robot whose joints are unidirectionally actuated by pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs). In order to expand the useful range of RUPERT especially for patients with flaccid paralysis, functional electrical stimulation (FES) is taken to activate paralyzed arm muscles. As both the exoskeleton robot driven by PAMs and the neuromuscular skeletal system under FES possess the highly nonlinear and time-varying characteristics, iterative learning control (ILC) is studied and is taken to control this newly designed hybrid rehabilitation system for reaching trainings. Hand function rehabilitation refers to grasping. Because of tiny finger muscles, grasping and releasing are realized by FES array electrodes and matrix scan method. By using the surface electromyography (EMG) technique, the subject’s active intent is identified. The upper limb rehabilitation robot powered by PAMs cooperates with FES arrays to realize active reach-to-grasp trainings, which was verified through experiments.

scholarly journals Monitoring of train-induced vibrations on rock slopes

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 155014771668755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangbo Xu ◽  
Changgen Yan ◽  
Xu Zhao ◽  
Ke Du ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Velocity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Test System ◽  
Peak Particle Velocity ◽  
Vibration Test ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Stability Of Slopes ◽  
The Stability

Train-induced vibrations will undoubtedly influence the stability of slopes near railway lines. To monitor the effects of such vibrations on slope stability, a wirelessly networked vibration test system was established, which included wirelessly networked vibration meters, high-precision and high-speed three-dimensional sensors and a remote wirelessly networked data server system. This system represents the first attempt to monitor the effects of train-induced vibrations on the stability of slopes in China. It enables real-time and long-distance monitoring by means of remote transmission with a low cost and high efficiency. The duration, frequency, amplitude, peak acceleration and peak particle velocity were adopted as measures for evaluating the influence of train vibrations. Simultaneously, we used additional monitoring technologies to verify the conclusions of the wirelessly networked vibration test system. The monitoring results indicated that the peak particle velocity was much higher near the track and gradually decreased with increasing distance. When the distance between the measurement point and the road axis was 12 m ( H = 0 m), the maximal peak particle velocity was 0.4 mm/s, which remained below the maximum safe value.

scholarly journals Multi-Domain Dynamic Modelling of a Low-Cost Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robot

Robotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Adam G. Metcalf ◽  
Justin F. Gallagher ◽  
Andrew E. Jackson ◽  
Martin C. Levesley
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Equations Of Motion ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Rehabilitation Robot ◽  
Data Logging ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Model Match ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

Tracking patient progress through a course of robotic tele-rehabilitation requires constant position data logging and comparison, alongside periodic testing with no powered assistance. The test data must be compared with previous test attempts and an ideal baseline, for which a good understanding of the dynamics of the robot is required. The traditional dynamic modelling techniques for serial chain robotics, which involve forming and solving equations of motion, do not adequately describe the multi-domain phenomena that affect the movement of the rehabilitation robot. In this study, a multi-domain dynamic model for an upper limb rehabilitation robot is described. The model, built using a combination of MATLAB, SimScape, and SimScape Multibody, comprises the mechanical electro-mechanical and control domains. The performance of the model was validated against the performance of the robot when unloaded and when loaded with a human arm proxy. It is shown that this combination of software is appropriate for building a dynamic model of the robot and provides advantages over the traditional modelling approach. It is demonstrated that the responses of the model match the responses of the robot with acceptable accuracy, though the inability to model backlash was a limitation.

Improved Benchmarking Method Using Kinematics Analysis in Design of an Upper Limb Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Device

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanlin Shi ◽  
Qingjin Peng
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
New Product ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Kinematics Analysis ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Upper Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
Product Function ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

Conceptual design plays an important role in product development to meet requirements of the product function, cost and other factors. Existing methods of the product conceptual design rely on experience of designers or benchmarking methods to estimate design parameters, which limits the design automation and optimization. This paper improves the benchmarking methods by integrating the kinematics analysis with quality function deployment in design of an upper limb exoskeleton rehabilitation device. Parameters such as velocity, acceleration and displacement of the product are included for rating benchmarking products to evaluate the rehabilitation device based on customer needs. By integrating the benchmarking method and kinematics analysis, products with the best performance can be determined accurately to help designers to improve the existing product or develop a new product. The proposed method is verified in the design of an upper limb rehabilitation device.

Kinematic Design Optimization of an Eight Degree-of-Freedom Upper-Limb Exoskeleton

Robotica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2073-2086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Zeiaee ◽  
Rana Soltani-Zarrin ◽  
Reza Langari ◽  
Reza Tafreshi
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Optimization Problem ◽  
Degree Of Freedom ◽  
Upper Limb Rehabilitation ◽  
Upper Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
Wearable Robots ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Limb Rehabilitation

SummaryThis paper studies the problem of optimizing the kinematic structure of an eight degree-of-freedom upper-limb rehabilitation exoskeleton. The objective of optimization is achieving minimum volume and maximum dexterity in the workspace of daily activities specified by a set of upper-arm configurations. To formulate the problem, a new index is proposed for effective characterization of kinematic dexterity for wearable robots. Additionally, a set of constraints are defined to ensure that the optimal design can cover the desired workspace of the exoskeleton, while singular configurations and physical interferences are avoided. The formulated multi-objective optimization problem is solved using an evolutionary algorithm (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) and the weighted sum approach. Among the resulted optimal points, the point with least sensitivity with respect to the variations of design variables is chosen as the final design.

SSVEP-based active control of an upper limb exoskeleton using a low-cost brain–computer interface

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Xu ◽  
Qingcong Wu ◽  
Bai Chen ◽  
Xi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Upper Limb ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Eeg Signal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Upper Limb Exoskeleton ◽  
Exoskeleton Robot ◽  
Rehabilitation System ◽  
Training Mode ◽  
Processing Platform

Purpose For the robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation training process of the elderly with damaged neuromuscular channels and hemiplegic patients, bioelectric signals are added to transform the traditional passive training mode into the active training mode. Design/methodology/approach This paper mainly builds a steady-state visual stimulation interface, an electroencephalography (EEG) signal processing platform and an exoskeleton robot verification platform. The target flashing stimulation blocks provide visual stimulation at the specified position according to the specified frequency and stimulate EEG signals of different frequency bands. The EEG signal-processing platform constructed in this paper removes the noise by using Butterworth band-pass filtering and common average reference filtering on the obtained signals. Further, the features are extracted to identify the volunteer’s active movement intention through the canonical correlation analysis (CCA) method. The classification results are transmitted to the upper limb exoskeleton robot control system, combined with the position and posture of the exoskeleton robot to control the joint motion of robot. Findings Through a large number of experimental studies, the average accuracy of offline recognition of motion intention recognition can reach 86.1%. The control strategy with a three-instruction judgment method reduces the average execution error rate of the entire control system to 6.75%. Online experiments verify the feasibility of the steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP)-based rehabilitation system. Originality/value An EEG signal analysis method based on SSVEP is integrated into the control of an upper limb exoskeleton robot, transforming the traditional passive training mode into the active training mode. The device used to record EEG is of very low cost, which has the potential to promote the rehabilitation system for further widely applications.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document