Medical remotely caring with COVID-19 virus infected people using optimized wireless arm tracing system

A human arm makes many functions that a robotic arm always programmed to make same functions. The human limbs motion can be captured using sensors that they will always copy hand movement. The rapid spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) virus and contacting the infections make the number of patients doubled in short time. The system proposed in this research can protect clinicians against infection with virus by reducing the contact with the infected and treat them remotely. This system type can be useful in different other fields of industrial works and defense where dangerous and delicate task can be done remotely without actual touch. Xbee shield is used to allow a hand glove flex sensor to communicate with the robotic arm using Zigbee wirelessly. Zigbee here is based on Xbee module from Max stream that can be communicate outdoor for 300 feet with the line of sight and indoor for 100 feet. Proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controller used in the proposed system to achieve smooth movement of limbs. The desired signal comes from flex sensor that connected to each limb. Kalman estimator proposed to find current state of each limb. In order to get better performance, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used

An Industrial Robot-Based Rehabilitation System for Bilateral Exercises

Robot-assisted rehabilitation devices can provide intensive and precise task-based training that differs from clinician-facilitated manual therapy. However, industrial robots are still rarely used in rehabilitation, especially in bilateral exercises. The main purpose of this research is to develop and evaluate the functionality of a bilateral upper-limb rehabilitation system based on two modern industrial robots. A `patient-cooperative' control strategy is developed based on an adaptive admittance controller, which can take into account patients' voluntary efforts. Three bilateral training protocols (passive, active, and self) are also proposed based on the system and the control strategy. Experimental results from 10 healthy subjects show that the proposed system can provide reliable bilateral exercises: the mean RMS values for the master error and the master-slave error are all less than 1.00 mm and 1.15 mm respectively, and the mean max absolute values for the master error and the master-slave error are no greater than 6.11 mm and 6.73 mm respectively. Meanwhile, the experimental results also confirm that the recalculated desired trajectory can present the voluntary efforts of subjects. These experimental findings suggest that industrial robots can be used in bilateral rehabilitation training, and also highlight the potential applications of the proposed system in further clinical practices

Advancements in Sensor Technologies and Control Strategies for Lower-Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeletons: A Comprehensive Review

Lower-limb rehabilitation exoskeletons offer a transformative approach to enhancing recovery in patients with movement disorders affecting the lower extremities. This comprehensive systematic review delves into the literature on sensor technologies and the control strategies integrated into these exoskeletons, evaluating their capacity to address user needs and scrutinizing their structural designs regarding sensor distribution as well as control algorithms. The review examines various sensing modalities, including electromyography (EMG), force, displacement, and other innovative sensor types, employed in these devices to facilitate accurate and responsive motion control. Furthermore, the review explores the strengths and limitations of a diverse array of lower-limb rehabilitation-exoskeleton designs, highlighting areas of improvement and potential avenues for further development. In addition, the review investigates the latest control algorithms and analysis methods that have been utilized in conjunction with these sensor systems to optimize exoskeleton performance and ensure safe and effective user interactions. By building a deeper understanding of the diverse sensor technologies and monitoring systems, this review aims to contribute to the ongoing advancement of lower-limb rehabilitation exoskeletons, ultimately improving the quality of life for patients with mobility impairments

Diseño y fabricación de un exoesqueleto movilizador amplificador de fuerza para rodilla

Según datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) del año 2020, en el rubro de discapacidad reporta que el 16.53% de la población presenta alguna limitación o discapacidad, de los cuales el 38.85% lo presenta para caminar; siendo en este grupo de personas loa limitación o discapacidad de mayor prevalencia. Los dos principales factores esta limitación o discapacidad para caminar esta relacionada con la enfermedad y la edad avanzada. Este trabajo presenta el diseño y fabricación de un modelo físico experimental (MFE) de un exoesqueleto movilizador amplificador de fuerza (EXOMAF) para la rodilla de dos grados de libertad (GDL). El diseño del EXOMAF es producto de la aplicación de una metodología enfocada en las necesidades del usuario y los requerimientos funcionales que satisfagan esas necesidades. Se validó parcialmente el EXOMAF comparando el rango de movilidad generadas por el EXOMAF contra los ángulos articulares reportados en la literatura, el rango de movimiento máximo del EXOMAF es de 135.21o, la fuerza que proporciona producto, del uso de resortes en su diseño para una caminata normal es del 15.5%, esta medición de fuerza se hizo de forma estática sin considerar la velocidad de marcha. Otro criterio que se utilizó para el diseño esta relacionado con el índice de diseño para el ensamblaje por sus siglas en inglés DFA Index, el cual indica lo fácil que puede ser ensamblar un componente y reducir sus costos de ensamble, en el caso del EXOMAF el DFA que se obtuvo es del 76.9%, la validación de la asistencia durante la marcha no se realizó debido a las restricciones sanitarias impuestas por las autoridades con motivo de la pandemia de Covid-19

A Study on Active/Passive Pneumatic Actuators for Assistive Systems

The need for intelligent assistive devices is growing. Due to advances in medicine, people are living longer and able to recover from severe neurological incidents, resulting in an increased population with neuromuscular weakness. In workplaces such as assembly lines, there is a high possibility of work-related fatigue or injury, such as when workers squat down or lift their arms during their work tasks. Assistive devices could help remedy loss of strength on their extremities as well as keep the work environment safe and productive, allowing these growing segments of the population in need of the devices to live more self-sufficient, productive, and higher-quality lives.In the design of assistive systems, an important design goal is prolonged operational time, which requires the minimum usage of energy. Energy consumption can be reduced by modifying the mechanical characteristics of assistive systems according to the dynamic characteristics of the human body, which vary considerably between tasks. This dissertation investigates 1) the design of actuators with adjustable mechanical impedance, 2) control strategies to search for, and adjust to, a suitable mechanical impedance for assistance and 3) sensing technologies for classifying the tasks in which the human engages.The first part of this dissertation characterizes a pneumatic variable stiffness actuator named an Active/Passive Pneumatic Actuator (AP2A). The actuator consists of an air cylinder and an array of solenoid valves. These valves and the corresponding switching algorithms tune the chamber pressures and make the AP2A function as a mechanical spring with desired stiffness. The actuator has a low mechanical impedance compared to geared motors, which enables it to achieve efficient interaction. Control strategies of an assistive system with the AP2A are discussed in the second part. This control framework utilizes the characteristics of the AP2A to provide assistance when necessary and to operate transparently (i.e., neither to assist nor to disturb the users) otherwise. Energy consumed by the AP2A and the assisted system is minimized by solving an optimal control problem. Finally, an estimator is introduced to detect assistive timing for the assistive system with the AP2A. This estimator utilizes physiological signals such as surface electromyogram and prior knowledge of a muscular model, classifying if the user is under the specified condition to be assisted by the AP2A. It demonstrates that the user's effort can be saved, also reducing the number of procedures to collect training data for the estimator before using assistive systems. The performance of the actuator, the controller, and the estimator proposed in this dissertation are verified through experiments.From the above, this dissertation contributes to developing the AP2A that provides assistance and saves energy usage of assistive systems by working as a mechanical spring with stiffness optimized for achieving effective interaction under specific conditions. This actuator supports assistive devices that can be deployed in the real world, properly assisting the users when needed

DEVELOPMENT OF A ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON SYSTEM FOR GAIT REHABILITATION

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH