Development of Active Support Splint driven by Pneumatic Soft Actuator (ASSIST)

In this study, in order to realize an assist of independent life for the elderly or people in need of care and relieve a physical burden for care worker, an active support splint driven by pneumatic soft actuator (ASSIST) has been developed. ASSIST consists of a plastic interface with the palm and arm and two rotary-type soft actuators put in both sides of appliance. In this paper, the fundamental characteristics of ASSIST is described, and then the effectiveness of this splint is experimentally discussed. Finally, the operation of ASSIST based on a human intention is described. </p

Mechatronic Design of a Lower Limb Exoskeleton

This chapter presents a lower limb exoskeleton mechatronic design. The design aims to be used as a walking support device focused on patients who suffer of partial lower body paralysis due to spine injuries or caused by a stroke. First, the mechanical design is presented and the results are validated through dynamical simulations performed in Autodesk Inventor and MATLAB. Second, a communication network design is proposed in order to establish a secure and fast data link between sensors, actuators, and microprocessors. Finally, patient‐exoskeleton system interaction is presented and detailed. Movement generation is performed by means of digital signal processing techniques applied to electromyography (EMG) and electrocardiography (EEG) signals. Such interaction system design is tested and evaluated in MATLAB whose results are presented and explained. A proposal of real‐time supervisory control is also presented as a part of the integration of every component of the exoskeleton

A nonlinear controller for pneumatic servo systems: Design and experimental tests

International audienceThis paper is dedicated to the problem of pneumatic cylinder control without pressure measurement. Based on the theory of homogeneous, finite time stable, ordinary differential equations, a state feedback nonlinear controller is proposed. The closed loop system stability is proved and an attraction domain of the controller is given. The performances and the effectiveness of the proposed controller are illustrated against an experimental setup consisting of a pneumatic cylinder controlled by dSPACE dS1103 microcontroller

Development and Evaluation of Pneumatic Powered Mobility Devices

The performance of battery-powered mobility devices (PMDs) has continually improved since their invention in the 1950s due to advances in electronics and their control systems. Yet they continue to experience increases in repairs and utilize battery technologies that require long recharge times and frequent, expensive replacement. Although advances in battery technologies are ongoing, the technology is expensive and raises safety concerns. The need for the development of alternative power sources has been voiced by consumers as well as providers of PMDs. Alternative forms of power need to be researched to further improve the performance of powered mobility devices. The purpose of this project was to develop a novel power system for powered mobility devices driven by compressed air and evaluate its performance in a real-world setting. This was accomplished by following the product development process with the addition of participatory action design to maximize the potential for meeting end user’s needs. Through the development of several iterations of mobility scooter prototypes, a pneumatic-powered system was created and optimized for efficiency. The results of the mobility scooter developments were later incorporated into the design of a powered wheelchair configuration. The two types of mobility devices were tested using ISO Wheelchair Standards to evaluate their safety, durability and maneuverability of which both devices performed comparatively to their battery-powered equivalents. Additionally, a pneumatic-powered shopping cart configuration was created to test its usage in a grocery store setting. K-Means clustering analysis was performed to evaluate whether certain demographics of individuals preferred to use the pneumatic-powered cart versus the battery-powered cart of which the results revealed individuals younger than 54 years old and those who do not own a mobility device preferred to use the pneumatic-powered shopping cart over the battery-powered shopping cart. Overall, the feasibility for pneumatic-powered mobility devices to serve as an alternative to battery-powered mobility devices is plausible. Although, further improvements as well as additional pilot tests are needed prior to commercialization

Identification and control of a multiplace hyperbaric chamber

[EN] This work presents the automation of a multiplace hyperbaric chamber. It includes the system modeling, identification, controller calculation and system validation. With the proposed approach a good pressure profile tracking and repeatability are achieved. Moreover, the proposed automation includes the implementation of powerful treatment tools such as Pause and Alleviation procedures. The control system implemented is based on a special zero-pole cancellation regulator. Experimental results are provided to illustrate the behavior of the automated chamber. It is important to remark that the chamber automated in this work is being successfully used in a real hospital since 2015 treating more than 40 patients per day, five days a week.The authors would like to thanks MEDIBAROX (unit of the Perpetuo Socorro Hospital) and the "Catedra de Medicina Hiperbarica" of the Miguel Hernandez University for their support and for finally implementing the control law described in this article. The authors would also like to thank Francisco Aracil Meseguer for his help with the chamber 3D modeling.Gracia Calandin, LI.; Perez-Vidal, C.; De Paco, JM.; De Paco, LM. (2018). Identification and control of a multiplace hyperbaric chamber. PLoS ONE. 13(8):1-23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200407S12313

MRI-Compatible Pneumatic Actuation Control Algorithm Evaluation and Test System Development

This thesis presents the development of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible pneumatic actuation test system regulated by piezoelectric valve for image guided robotic intervention. After comparing pneumatic, hydraulic and piezoelectric MRI-compatible actuation technologies, I present a piezoelectric valve regulated pneumatic actuation system consisted of PC, custom servo board driver, piezoelectric valves, sensors and pneumatic cylinder. This system was proposed to investigate the control schemes of a modular actuator, which provides fully MRI-compatible actuation; the initial goal is to control our MRI-compatible prostate biopsy robot, but the controller and system architecture are suited to a wide range of image guided surgical application. I present the mathematical modeling of the pressure regulating valve with time delay and the pneumatic cylinder. Three different sliding mode control (SMC) schemes are proposed to compare the system performance. Simulation results are presented to validate the control algorithm. Practical tests with parameters determined from simulation show that the system performance attained the goal. A novel MRI- compatible locking device for the pneumatic actuator was developed to provide safe lock function as the pneumatic actuator fully stopped

Engineering a robotic exoskeleton for space suit simulation

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-181).Novel methods for assessing space suit designs and human performance capabilities are needed as NASA prepares for manned missions beyond low Earth orbit. Current human performance tests and training are conducted in space suits that are heavy and expensive, characteristics that constrain possible testing environments and reduce suit availability to researchers. Space suit mock-ups used in planetary exploration simulations are light and relatively inexpensive but do not accurately simulate the joint stiffness inherent to space suits, a key factor impacting extravehicular activity performance. The MIT Man-Vehicle Laboratory and Aurora Flight Sciences designed and built an actively controlled exoskeleton for space suit simulation called the Extravehicular Activity Space Suit Simulator (EVA S3), which can be programmed to simulate the joint torques recorded from various space suits. The goal of this research is to create a simulator that is lighter and cheaper than a traditional space suit so that it can be used in a variety of testing and training environments. The EVA S3 employs pneumatic actuators to vary joint stiffness and a pre-programmed controller to allow the experimenter to apply torque profiles to mimic various space suit designs in the field. The focus of this thesis is the design, construction, integration, and testing of the hip joint and backpack for the EVA S3. The final designs of the other joints are also described. Results from robotic testing to validate the mechanical design and control system are discussed along with the planned improvements for the next iteration of the EVA S3. The fianl EVA S3 consists of a metal and composite exoskeleton frame with pneumatic actuators that control the resistance of motion in the ankle, knee, and hip joints, and an upper body brace that resists shoulder and elbow motions with passive spring elements. The EVA S3 is lighter (26 kg excluding the tethered components) and less expensive (under $600,000 including research, design, and personnel) than a modem space suit. Design adjustments and control system improvements are still needed to achieve a desired space suit torque simulation fidelity within 10% root-mean-square error.by Forrest Edward Meyen.S.M