Topic
Rehabilitation robotics
About: Rehabilitation robotics is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1280 publications have been published within this topic receiving 32625 citations.
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01 Mar 1998
TL;DR: Evidence is presented that robot-aided therapy does not have adverse effects, that patients tolerate the procedure, and that peripheral manipulation of the impaired limb may influence brain recovery, and one approach using kinematic data in a robot- aided assessment procedure.
Abstract: The authors' goal is to apply robotics and automation technology to assist, enhance, quantify, and document neurorehabilitation. This paper reviews a clinical trial involving 20 stroke patients with a prototype robot-aided rehabilitation facility developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, (MIT) and tested at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, White Plains, NY. It also presents the authors' approach to analyze kinematic data collected in the robot-aided assessment procedure. In particular, they present evidence (1) that robot-aided therapy does not have adverse effects, (2) that patients tolerate the procedure, and (3) that peripheral manipulation of the impaired limb may influence brain recovery. These results are based on standard clinical assessment procedures. The authors also present one approach using kinematic data in a robot-aided assessment procedure.
1,346 citations
17 Sep 2007
TL;DR: Electromyography (EMG) measurements on eight important leg muscles, show that free walking in the device strongly resembles free treadmill walking; an indication that the device can offer task-specific gait training.
Abstract: This paper introduces a newly developed gait rehabilitation device. The device, called LOPES, combines a freely translatable and 2-D-actuated pelvis segment with a leg exoskeleton containing three actuated rotational joints: two at the hip and one at the knee. The joints are impedance controlled to allow bidirectional mechanical interaction between the robot and the training subject. Evaluation measurements show that the device allows both a "pa- tient-in-charge" and "robot-in-charge" mode, in which the robot is controlled either to follow or to guide a patient, respectively. Electromyography (EMG) measurements (one subject) on eight important leg muscles, show that free walking in the device strongly resembles free treadmill walking; an indication that the device can offer task-specific gait training. The possibilities and limitations to using the device as gait measurement tool are also shown at the moment position measurements are not accurate enough for inverse-dynamical gait analysis.
1,150 citations
TL;DR: This work reviews the state-of-the-art techniques for controlling portable active lower limb prosthetic and orthotic P/O devices in the context of locomotive activities of daily living (ADL), and considers how these can be interfaced with the user’s sensory-motor control system.
Abstract: Technological advancements have led to the development of numerous wearable robotic devices for the physical assistance and restoration of human locomotion. While many challenges remain with respect to the mechanical design of such devices, it is at least equally challenging and important to develop strategies to control them in concert with the intentions of the user. This work reviews the state-of-the-art techniques for controlling portable active lower limb prosthetic and orthotic (P/O) devices in the context of locomotive activities of daily living (ADL), and considers how these can be interfaced with the user’s sensory-motor control system. This review underscores the practical challenges and opportunities associated with P/O control, which can be used to accelerate future developments in this field. Furthermore, this work provides a classification scheme for the comparison of the various control strategies. As a novel contribution, a general framework for the control of portable gait-assistance devices is proposed. This framework accounts for the physical and informatic interactions between the controller, the user, the environment, and the mechanical device itself. Such a treatment of P/Os – not as independent devices, but as actors within an ecosystem – is suggested to be necessary to structure the next generation of intelligent and multifunctional controllers. Each element of the proposed framework is discussed with respect to the role that it plays in the assistance of locomotion, along with how its states can be sensed as inputs to the controller. The reviewed controllers are shown to fit within different levels of a hierarchical scheme, which loosely resembles the structure and functionality of the nominal human central nervous system (CNS). Active and passive safety mechanisms are considered to be central aspects underlying all of P/O design and control, and are shown to be critical for regulatory approval of such devices for real-world use. The works discussed herein provide evidence that, while we are getting ever closer, significant challenges still exist for the development of controllers for portable powered P/O devices that can seamlessly integrate with the user’s neuromusculoskeletal system and are practical for use in locomotive ADL.
853 citations
TL;DR: The state of the art in the design of actuators with adaptable passive compliance is described, which is not preferred for classical position-controlled applications such as pick and place operations but is preferred in novel robots where safe human- robot interaction is required or in applications where energy efficiency must be increased by adapting the actuator's resonance frequency.
Abstract: In the growing fields of wearable robotics, rehabilitation robotics, prosthetics, and walking k robots, variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) or adjustable compliant actuators are being designed and implemented because of their ability to minimize large forces due to shocks, to safely interact with the user, and their ability to store and release energy in passive elastic elements. This review article describes the state of the art in the design of actuators with adaptable passive compliance. This new type of actuator is not preferred for classical position-controlled applications such as pick and place operations but is preferred in novel robots where safe human- robot interaction is required or in applications where energy efficiency must be increased by adapting the actuator's resonance frequency. The working principles of the different existing designs are explained and compared. The designs are divided into four groups: equilibrium-controlled stiffness, antagonistic-controlled stiffness, structure-controlled stiffness (SCS), and mechanically controlled stiffness.
772 citations
TL;DR: A proposed method to achieve this goal is a novel performance-based impedance control algorithm, which is triggered via speed, time, or EMG, which has already noted one very strong benefit, a significant reduction in arm tone.
Abstract: In this paper we describe the novel concept of performance-based progressive robot therapy that uses speed, time, or EMG thresholds to initiate robot assistance. We pioneered the clinical application of robot-assisted therapy focusing on stroke—the largest cause of disability in the US. We have completed several clinical studies involving well over 200 stroke patients. Research to date has shown that repetitive task-specific, goal-directed, robot-assisted therapy is effective in reducing motor impairments in the affected arm after stroke. One research goal is to determine the optimal therapy tailored to each stroke patient that will maximize his/her recovery. A proposed method to achieve this goal is a novel performance-based impedance control algorithm, which is triggered via speed, time, or EMG. While it is too early to determine the effectiveness of the algorithm, therapists have already noted one very strong benefit, a significant reduction in arm tone.
677 citations