A novel robotic platform to assist, train, and study head-neck movement

Moving the head-neck freely is an everyday task that a healthy person takes for granted. Such a simple movement, however, may be very challenging for individuals with neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These individuals often do not have enough neck muscle strength to stabilize the head at the upright neutral or to move it in a controlled manner. Static braces are commonly prescribed to these patients. However, these braces often fix the head at a single configuration, which makes them uncomfortable to wear for an extended period of time. In this thesis, a robotic neck brace is developed. It accommodates three rotations and covers roughly 70% range of motion of the head-neck of a typical able-bodied adult. The hardware is lightweight (1.5 kilogram) and wearable, with a pair of pads and a soft band attached to the shoulders and the forehead, respectively. A parallel mechanism connecting the shoulder pads and the headband was designed to meet the empirical human movement data. This design choice is novel where the parasitic motion (translation of the head) was parameterized and optimized to address misalignment between the robot and the user's head. A user can control this neck brace to assist intended head-neck movement through input devices, including hand-held joysticks, keyboards, and eye-trackers. This provides a potential solution to remediate head drop. Additionally, this robotic brace is developed into a versatile platform to train and study head-neck movements. The robot was designed to be highly transparent to the user and features different force controllers. Therefore, it can be used to assess the free movement of the head-neck and mimic different interactions between a therapist and a patient. The modalities of this neck brace have been validated with different users. To the best of our knowledge, this robotic neck brace is the first in the literature to assist, train, and study head-neck movements

User Based Development and Test of the EXOTIC Exoskeleton:Empowering Individuals with Tetraplegia Using a Compact, Versatile, 5-DoF Upper Limb Exoskeleton Controlled through Intelligent Semi-Automated Shared Tongue Control

This paper presents the EXOTIC- a novel assistive upper limb exoskeleton for individuals with complete functional tetraplegia that provides an unprecedented level of versatility and control. The current literature on exoskeletons mainly focuses on the basic technical aspects of exoskeleton design and control while the context in which these exoskeletons should function is less or not prioritized even though it poses important technical requirements. We considered all sources of design requirements, from the basic technical functions to the real-world practical application. The EXOTIC features: (1) a compact, safe, wheelchair-mountable, easy to don and doff exoskeleton capable of facilitating multiple highly desired activities of daily living for individuals with tetraplegia; (2) a semi-automated computer vision guidance system that can be enabled by the user when relevant; (3) a tongue control interface allowing for full, volitional, and continuous control over all possible motions of the exoskeleton. The EXOTIC was tested on ten able-bodied individuals and three users with tetraplegia caused by spinal cord injury. During the tests the EXOTIC succeeded in fully assisting tasks such as drinking and picking up snacks, even for users with complete functional tetraplegia and the need for a ventilator. The users confirmed the usability of the EXOTIC

Investigation of Unintentional Movement in People with Cerebral Palsy to Improve Computer Target Aquisition

People with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have difficulty using computer pointing devices due to unintentional movement in their upper extremities. Fifty percent of people with CP have impaired arm-hand function which limits their ability to interface with pointing devices and effectively control cursor movement on the computer screen. This thesis involves two studies which utilize an Isometric Joystick in order to access the computer and complete target acquisition tasks. The first study titled "Quantification of Cursor Movement of People with Athetoid and Spastic Cerebral Palsy to Improve Target Acquisition," aims to guide real-time digital filter development for people with athetoid and spastic CP for target acquisition tasks. By investigating the cursor movement measures throughout the target acquisition trajectory we gained a better insight as to when and how to compensate for unintentional movement in people with CP. Results showed that both people with athetoid CP and spastic CP have more difficulty hovering over the target than they did moving to the target, indicating that filter development should focus on the hovering portion of the target acquisition task in order to improve target acquisition time. The second study titled "Customized Control for People with Athetosis and Dystonia to Improve Computer Access," aims to develop a method to prescribe appropriate switch/scanning control for people with athetosis and dystonia as well as to determine if customized switch/scanning control is more effective in completing icon selection tasks than the proportional isometric control. Results of this study suggest that switch/scanning control could be useful in moving on the most direct path to the target as shown by a significantly smaller percent distance error for customized control as compared to proportional isometric control (F(1,6) = 361.2, p < 0.01)

User Intent Detection and Control of a Soft Poly-Limb

abstract: This work presents the integration of user intent detection and control in the development of the fluid-driven, wearable, and continuum, Soft Poly-Limb (SPL). The SPL utilizes the numerous traits of soft robotics to enable a novel approach to provide safe and compliant mobile manipulation assistance to healthy and impaired users. This wearable system equips the user with an additional limb made of soft materials that can be controlled to produce complex three-dimensional motion in space, like its biological counterparts with hydrostatic muscles. Similar to the elephant trunk, the SPL is able to manipulate objects using various end effectors, such as suction adhesion or a soft grasper, and can also wrap its entire length around objects for manipulation. User control of the limb is demonstrated using multiple user intent detection modalities. Further, the performance of the SPL studied by testing its capability to interact safely and closely around a user through a spatial mobility test. Finally, the limb’s ability to assist the user is explored through multitasking scenarios and pick and place tests with varying mounting locations of the arm around the user’s body. The results of these assessments demonstrate the SPL’s ability to safely interact with the user while exhibiting promising performance in assisting the user with a wide variety of tasks, in both work and general living scenarios.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Biomedical Engineering 201

Equipment-Spinal Cord Injury Manual

Introduction During your stay in the hospital, various pieces of equipment will be given to you or ordered for you. Your therapists or nurse will be instructing you in the use, care and repair of this equipment. Also, you will find materials in this section regarding specialized equipment that you may need during your hospital stay and following discharge. There are also reference materials about equipment you may need in the future. If you have any questions about your equipment while in the hospital, contact your therapist, nurse or case manager. As part of your follow-up program, equipment will be reviewed and re-evaluated from time to time. If you have questions about equipment after discharge, contact the SCI Follow-Up Clinic for a nurse clinician who will direct you to the proper source. (57 pages, 1.08Mb

Development And Human Performance Evaluation Of Control Modes Of An Exo-Skeletal Assistive Robotic Arm (esara)

This research was conducted to assist with functional tasks for a targeted group of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI); with C5 to C7 level of injury relating to upper extremity movement. The specific population was selected as the existing technology was either too expensive, too bulky or was unable to address their needs in regards to upper extremity mobility. In addition, no platforms allowed multimodal control options for customization or provided a methodology for this crucial evaluation. The motivation of this research was to provide a methodology for selecting the appropriate control of an assistive device based on the range of basic human movements that were possible by the population under consideration (button pushing, lever sliding, and speech). The main idea was to create an evaluation methodology based on a user platform with multiple modes of control. The controls were developed such that they would allow operation of the device with respect to the capabilities of SCI participants. Engineering advancements have taken assistive robotics to new dimensions. Technologies such as wheelchair robotics and myo-electronically controlled systems have opened up a wide range of new applications to assist people with physical disabilities. Similarly exo-skeletal limbs and body suits have provided new foundations from which technologies can aid function. Unfortunately, these devices have issues of usability, weight, and discomfort with donning. The Smart Assistive Reacher Arm (SARA) system, developed in this research, is a voice-activated, lightweight, mobile device that can be used when needed. SARA was built to help overcome daily reach challenges faced by individuals with limited arm and hand movement capability, such as people with cervical level 5-6 (C5-6) SCI. The functional reacher arm with voice control can be beneficial for this population. Comparison study with healthy participants and an SCI participant shows that, when using SARA, a person with SCI can perform simple reach and grasp tasks independently, without someone else\u27s help. This suggests that the interface is intuitive and can be easily used to a high-level of proficiency by a SCI individual. Using SARA, an Exo-Skeletal Assistive Robotic Arm (eSARA) was designed and built. eSARA platform had multiple modes of control namely, voice (ballistic mode with no extremity movement), button (ballistic mode with minor extremity movement) and slider (continuous mode with major extremity movement). eSARA was able to extend a total of 7 inches from its original position. The platform also provided lift assist for users that can potentially enable them to lift up to 20lbs.The purpose of eSARA was to build a platform that could help design a methodology to select the modality for a specific level of SCI injury or capability. The eSARA platform\u27s Human Machine Interface (HMI) was based on two experiments `Fine movement experiment\u27 and `Gross movement experiment\u27. These experiments tested the reaching, grasping and lifting ability of the platform. Two groups of healthy young adults were selected to perform the experiment. The first group, 12 healthy participants, had no movement restrictions. The second group, 6 Occupational Therapy students, that could mimic restrictions similar to those of a level 5-6 SCI individual. The experiment was also conducted by an SCI individual. The results of the 2 groups from both the experiments were compared with the results of the SCI participant. It was found that the SCI participant\u27s time performance to finish the tasks was comparable to the average of the healthy participants. It was concluded that the developed methodology and platforms could be used to evaluate the control modes needed in order to customize the system to the capabilities of SCI individual. . These platforms can be tested for a broader range of participants including participants with arthritis, recovering from paralysis and seniors with movement issues

Manual 3D Control of an Assistive Robotic Manipulator Using Alpha Rhythms and an Auditory Menu:A Proof-of-Concept

Brain&ndash;Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have been regarded as potential tools for individuals with severe motor disabilities, such as those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, that render interfaces that rely on movement unusable. This study aims to develop a dependent BCI system for manual end-point control of a robotic arm. A proof-of-concept system was devised using parieto-occipital alpha wave modulation and a cyclic menu with auditory cues. Users choose a movement to be executed and asynchronously stop said action when necessary. Tolerance intervals allowed users to cancel or confirm actions. Eight able-bodied subjects used the system to perform a pick-and-place task. To investigate the potential learning effects, the experiment was conducted twice over the course of two consecutive days. Subjects obtained satisfactory completion rates (84.0 &plusmn; 15.0% and 74.4 &plusmn; 34.5% for the first and second day, respectively) and high path efficiency (88.9 &plusmn; 11.7% and 92.2 &plusmn; 9.6%). Subjects took on average 439.7 &plusmn; 203.3 s to complete each task, but the robot was only in motion 10% of the time. There was no significant difference in performance between both days. The developed control scheme provided users with intuitive control, but a considerable amount of time is spent waiting for the right target (auditory cue). Implementing other brain signals may increase its speed

Orthoses in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Management and Improving Quality of Life

Damage to a part of the spinal cord or nerves at the ends of the spinal canal causes spinal cord injuries which affect the individual to perform their normal functioning. The spinal cord injury results in complete or incomplete alteration in strength, sensation, and body function below the level of injury. It impacts the postural balance and confines the affected individual with limitations. The independent or optimal activity of living (ADL) management of spinal cord injury patients is challenging. Orthoses play an important role in the multidisciplinary approach to managing spinal injury patients and successful rehabilitation. Different orthoses are applied to spinal cord injury patients to achieve/regain movement, balance, pain relief, etc. The objective of this chapter is to brief about the orthotic rehabilitation management of spinal cord injury patients and its advancement prospects in future