An Untethered Electro-Pneumatic Exosuit for Gait Assistance of People With Foot Drop

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizzette J. Salmeron ◽  
Gladys V. Juca ◽  
Satesh M. Mahadeo ◽  
Jiechao Ma ◽  
Shuangyue Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Load Test ◽  
Foot Drop ◽  
Pneumatic System ◽  
Pneumatic Actuator ◽  
Soft Robot ◽  
Complex Control ◽  
Ankle Exoskeleton

Abstract Individuals with foot drop caused by stroke or cerebral palsy (CP) have a particular need for robotic ankle exoskeleton. This paper proposes an untethered soft robot using an origami actuator to lift the toes of the wearer. The weight, connections, and complex control of the system are reduced through mechanical design. A compact and portable pneumatic system is designed to perform suction and compression with a single pump. The load test of the actuator shows the capability of 300N in 30 kPa. An untethered, simple and affordable robotic ankle exoskeleton is developed with the pneumatic actuator. The wearer can finish its simple 3-step donning procedure within 1 min.

Mechanical Design of VmaxCarrier2: Omnidirectional Mobile Robot with Function of Step-Climbing

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenjiro Tadakuma ◽  
◽  
Riichiro Tadakuma ◽  
Shigeo Hirose ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Robot ◽  
Mobile Robots ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Pneumatic System ◽  
Pneumatic Actuator ◽  
Omnidirectional Mobile Robot ◽  
Transport Vehicle ◽  
Step Climbing

“VmaxCarrier2” is an omnidirectional mobile robot with step-climbing capability, usable as a compact, quiet, durable transport vehicle in cluttered, cramped environments. We have developed several kinds of omnidirectional mobile robots for situations where movement must be possible in any direction, such as “VUTON [1]” and “VmaxCarrier [2, 3].” To construct an omnidirectional mobile robot with a greatly improved capability to climb steps, we developed the Omni-Disc2, a Bent Pneumatic Actuator, and a pneumatic system. These novel components were constructed into a prototype, and through evaluation experiments we have confirmed improved step climbing capability of VmaxCarrier2.

Secondary Benefits of a Foot Drop Stimulator on Spasticity and Motor Control for Cerebral Palsy

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (10) ◽  
pp. e16
Author(s):  
Ghaith Androwis ◽  
Naphtaly Ehrenberg ◽  
Kiran Karunakaran ◽  
Katherine Bentley ◽  
JenFu Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Motor Control ◽  
Foot Drop ◽  
Secondary Benefits

scholarly journals Acceptability and potential effectiveness of a foot drop stimulator in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1044-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA A PROSSER ◽  
LINDSEY A CURATALO ◽  
KATHARINE E ALTER ◽  
DIANE L DAMIANO
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Foot Drop ◽  
Potential Effectiveness

Hydraulic Ankle Foot Orthosis Emulator for Children With Cerebral Palsy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Durfee ◽  
Saeed Hashemi ◽  
Andrew Ries
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Hydraulic System ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Bench Test ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Camera Motion ◽  
Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Ankle Exoskeleton ◽  
Wearable Exoskeleton

Abstract Objective: Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) are used by nearly 50% of children with cerebral palsy (CP) to ameliorate gait impairments. The methods used to prescribe and tune the mechanical properties of an AFO, including its angular stiffness about the ankle, are based on the intuition and experience of the practitioner. The long-term goal of this research is to develop and deploy a technology-based solution to prescribing passive AFOs that uses an AFO emulator to be used in the clinic that can, under computer control, vary its stiffness in real-time to determine the best stiffness for walking. The objective of this project was to design and bench-test a first-generation wearable hydraulic ankle exoskeleton, and to conduct a small clinical trial to determine whether walking in a conventional plastic AFO was the same as walking in the hydraulic exoskeleton whose stiffness was programmed to match that of the conventional AFO. Methods: The hydraulic ankle exoskeleton was comprised of a wearable ankle exoskeleton tethered by small-diameter hydraulic hose to a push-behind cart that contained the hydraulic power supply and control components. The ankle component contained a novel double-ended cylinder with a cable anchored to the piston. The system was controlled to emulate a rotary spring. Bench top tests were performed to validate the performance of the system. In addition, an early feasibility clinical trial was conducted with five children with cerebral palsy who walked in three conventional AFOs (flexible, medium and stiff) and the hydraulic AFO controlled to match each stiffness. Kinematics and dynamics of gait were measured with a 12-camera motion capture system and a force plate. Results: The weight of the wearable exoskeleton plus shoe was 1.5 kg, 60% over the design goal. The system, running at a rail pressure of 141 bar (2,050 psi), could produce 62 Nm of torque and could emulate springs from 1 to 4.6 Nm/deg, the stiffness range of most conventional AFOs. Once calibrated, the torque-displacement properties were similar to the matched conventional AFO. Walking metrics were the same for hydraulic and conventional AFOs. Interpretation: Small-scale hydraulics are effective for a wearable exoskeleton that is designed to mimic a passive AFO and hydraulics can be used to emulate a rotary stiffness. While heavier than the design target, the added weight of the hydraulic system did not seem to impact walking in a significant way. The metrics used to evaluate walking were not sensitive enough to detect any subtle differences between walking with the hydraulic system and walking in a normal AFO.

Multi-chamber Pneumatic Actuator for Peristaltic Soft Robot

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng Gao ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Rong Xiong ◽  
Zhefeng Gong ◽  
Nenggan Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pneumatic Actuator ◽  
Soft Robot
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