4,050 research outputs found
Voluntary control of wearable robotic exoskeletons by patients with paresis via neuromechanical modeling.
BACKGROUND: Research efforts in neurorehabilitation technologies have been directed towards creating robotic exoskeletons to restore motor function in impaired individuals. However, despite advances in mechatronics and bioelectrical signal processing, current robotic exoskeletons have had only modest clinical impact. A major limitation is the inability to enable exoskeleton voluntary control in neurologically impaired individuals. This hinders the possibility of optimally inducing the activity-driven neuroplastic changes that are required for recovery. METHODS: We have developed a patient-specific computational model of the human musculoskeletal system controlled via neural surrogates, i.e., electromyography-derived neural activations to muscles. The electromyography-driven musculoskeletal model was synthesized into a human-machine interface (HMI) that enabled poststroke and incomplete spinal cord injury patients to voluntarily control multiple joints in a multifunctional robotic exoskeleton in real time. RESULTS: We demonstrated patients' control accuracy across a wide range of lower-extremity motor tasks. Remarkably, an increased level of exoskeleton assistance always resulted in a reduction in both amplitude and variability in muscle activations as well as in the mechanical moments required to perform a motor task. Since small discrepancies in onset time between human limb movement and that of the parallel exoskeleton would potentially increase human neuromuscular effort, these results demonstrate that the developed HMI precisely synchronizes the device actuation with residual voluntary muscle contraction capacity in neurologically impaired patients. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous voluntary control of robotic exoskeletons (i.e. event-free and task-independent) has never been demonstrated before in populations with paretic and spastic-like muscle activity, such as those investigated in this study. Our proposed methodology may open new avenues for harnessing residual neuromuscular function in neurologically impaired individuals via symbiotic wearable robots
Instrumentation and validation of a robotic cane for transportation and fall prevention in patients with affected mobility
Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Física, (especialização em Dispositivos, Microssistemas e Nanotecnologias)O ato de andar é conhecido por ser a forma primitiva de locomoção do ser humano, sendo que este
traz muitos benefícios que motivam um estilo de vida saudável e ativo. No entanto, há condições de saúde
que dificultam a realização da marcha, o que por consequência pode resultar num agravamento da saúde,
e adicionalmente, levar a um maior risco de quedas. Nesse sentido, o desenvolvimento de um sistema de
deteção e prevenção de quedas, integrado num dispositivo auxiliar de marcha, seria essencial para reduzir
estes eventos de quedas e melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas. Para ultrapassar estas necessidades
e limitações, esta dissertação tem como objetivo validar e instrumentar uma bengala robótica, denominada
Anti-fall Robotic Cane (ARCane), concebida para incorporar um sistema de deteção de quedas e um
mecanismo de atuação que possibilite a prevenção de quedas, ao mesmo tempo que assiste a marcha.
Para esse fim, foi realizada uma revisão do estado da arte em bengalas robóticas para adquirir um
conhecimento amplo e aprofundado dos componentes, mecanismos e estratégias utilizadas, bem como os
protocolos experimentais, principais resultados, limitações e desafios em dispositivos existentes.
Numa primeira fase, foi estipulado o objetivo de: (i) adaptar a missão do produto; (ii) estudar as
necessidades do consumidor; e (iii) atualizar as especificações alvo da ARCane, continuação do trabalho de
equipa, para obter um produto com design e engenharia compatível com o mercado. Foi depois estabelecida
a arquitetura de hardware e discutidos os componentes a ser instrumentados na ARCane. Em seguida foram
realizados testes de interoperabilidade a fim de validar o funcionamento singular e coletivo dos componentes.
Relativamente ao controlo de movimento, foi desenvolvido um sistema inovador, de baixo custo e
intuitivo, capaz de detetar a intenção do movimento e de reconhecer as fases da marcha do utilizador. Esta
implementação foi validada com seis voluntários saudáveis que realizaram testes de marcha com a ARCane
para testar sua operabilidade num ambiente de contexto real. Obteve-se uma precisão de 97% e de 90% em
relação à deteção da intenção de movimento e ao reconhecimento da fase da marcha do utilizador.
Por fim, foi projetado um método de deteção de quedas e mecanismo de prevenção de quedas para
futura implementação na ARCane. Foi ainda proposta uma melhoria do método de deteção de quedas, de
modo a superar as limitações associadas, bem como a proposta de dispositivos de deteção a serem
implementados na ARCane para obter um sistema completo de deteção de quedas.The act of walking is known to be the primitive form of the human being, and it brings many benefits
that motivate a healthy and active lifestyle. However, there are health conditions that make walking difficult,
which, consequently, can result in worse health and, in addition, lead to a greater risk of falls. Thus, the
development of a fall detection and prevention system integrated with a walking aid would be essential to
reduce these fall events and improve people quality of life. To overcome these needs and limitations, this
dissertation aims to validate and instrument a cane-type robot, called Anti-fall Robotic Cane (ARCane),
designed to incorporate a fall detection system and an actuation mechanism that allow the prevention of
falls, while assisting the gait. Therefore, a State-of-the-Art review concerning robotic canes was carried out to
acquire a broad and in-depth knowledge of the used components, mechanisms and strategies, as well as
the experimental protocols, main results, limitations and challenges on existing devices.
On a first stage, it was set an objective to (i) enhance the product's mission statement; (ii) study the
consumer needs; and (iii) update the target specifications of the ARCane, extending teamwork, to obtain a
product with a market-compatible design and engineering that meets the needs and desires of the ARCane
users. It was then established the hardware architecture of the ARCane and discussed the electronic
components that will instrument the control, sensory, actuator and power units, being afterwards subjected
to interoperability tests to validate the singular and collective functioning of cane components altogether.
Regarding the motion control of robotic canes, an innovative, cost-effective and intuitive motion
control system was developed, providing user movement intention recognition, and identification of the user's
gait phases. This implementation was validated with six healthy volunteers who carried out gait trials with
the ARCane, in order to test its operability in a real context environment. An accuracy of 97% was achieved
for user motion intention recognition and 90% for user gait phase recognition, using the proposed motion
control system.
Finally, it was idealized a fall detection method and fall prevention mechanism for a future
implementation in the ARCane, based on methods applied to robotic canes in the literature. It was also
proposed an improvement of the fall detection method in order to overcome its associated limitations, as
well as detection devices to be implemented into the ARCane to achieve a complete fall detection system
Design Principles for FES Concept Development
© Cranfield University 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the
copyright owner.A variety of pathologies can cause injury to the spinal cord and hinder movement. A range of
equipment is available to help spinal injury sufferers move their affected limbs. One method of
rehabilitation is functional electrical stimulation (FES). FES is a technique where small electrical
currents are applied to the surface of the user’s legs to stimulate the muscles. Studies have
demonstrated the benefits of using this method and it has also been incorporated into a
number of devices.
The aim of the project was to produce a number of designs for a new device that uses FES
technology. The project was completed in conjunction with an industrial partner. A review of
the literature and consultation with industrial experts suggested a number of ways current
devices could be improved. These included encouraging the user to lean forwards while
walking and powering the device using a more ergonomic method.
A group of designers were used to produce designs that allowed the user to walk with a more
natural gait and avoided cumbersome power packs. The most effective of these designs were
combined to form one design that solved both problems. A 3-dimensional model of this design
was simulated using computer-aided design software.
Groups of engineers, scientists and consumers were also invited to provide input on how a
new device should function. Each of these groups provided a design that reflected their
specific needs, depending on their experience with similar technology. Low level prototypes
were produced of these designs.
A group of designers were also used to design concepts for a functional electrical stimulation
device based on an introduction given by industry experts.
Each of the designs was presented to experienced professionals to obtain feedback.
A set of guidelines were also produced during the project that instructed how to create the
designs
Robotic Cane as a Soft SuperLimb for Elderly Sit-to-Stand Assistance
Many researchers have identified robotics as a potential solution to the
aging population faced by many developed and developing countries. If so, how
should we address the cognitive acceptance and ambient control of elderly
assistive robots through design? In this paper, we proposed an explorative
design of an ambient SuperLimb (Supernumerary Robotic Limb) system that
involves a pneumatically-driven robotic cane for at-home motion assistance, an
inflatable vest for compliant human-robot interaction, and a depth sensor for
ambient intention detection. The proposed system aims at providing active
assistance during the sit-to-stand transition for at-home usage by the elderly
at the bedside, in the chair, and on the toilet. We proposed a modified
biomechanical model with a linear cane robot for closed-loop control
implementation. We validated the design feasibility of the proposed ambient
SuperLimb system including the biomechanical model, our result showed the
advantages in reducing lower limb efforts and elderly fall risks, yet the
detection accuracy using depth sensing and adjustments on the model still
require further research in the future. Nevertheless, we summarized empirical
guidelines to support the ambient design of elderly-assistive SuperLimb systems
for lower limb functional augmentation.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted for IEEE RoboSoft 202
Reimagining Robotic Walkers For Real-World Outdoor Play Environments With Insights From Legged Robots: A Scoping Review
PURPOSE
For children with mobility impairments, without cognitive delays, who want to participate in outdoor activities, existing assistive technology (AT) to support their needs is limited. In this review, we investigate the control and design of a selection of robotic walkers while exploring a selection of legged robots to develop solutions that address this gap in robotic AT. METHOD
We performed a comprehensive literature search from four main databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore. The keywords used in the search were the following: “walker”, “rollator”, “smart walker”, “robotic walker”, “robotic rollator”. Studies were required to discuss the control or design of robotic walkers to be considered. A total of 159 papers were analyzed. RESULTS
From the 159 papers, 127 were excluded since they failed to meet our inclusion criteria. The total number of papers analyzed included publications that utilized the same device, therefore we classified the remaining 32 studies into groups based on the type of robotic walker used. This paper reviewed 15 different types of robotic walkers. CONCLUSIONS
The ability of many-legged robots to negotiate and transition between a range of unstructured substrates suggests several avenues of future consideration whose pursuit could benefit robotic AT, particularly regarding the present limitations of wheeled paediatric robotic walkers for children’s daily outside use.
For more information: Kod*lab (link to kodlab.seas.upenn.edu
Significance of the compliance of the joints on the dynamic slip resistance of a bioinspired hoof
Robust mechanisms for slip resistance are an open challenge in legged locomotion. Animals such as goats show impressive ability to resist slippage on cliffs. It is not fully known what attributes in their body determine this ability. Studying the slip resistance dynamics of the goat may offer insight toward the biologically inspired design of robotic hooves. This article tests how the embodiment of the hoof contributes to solving the problem of slip resistance. We ran numerical simulations and experiments using a passive robotic goat hoof for different compliance levels of its three joints. We established that compliant yaw and pitch and stiff roll can increase the energy required to slide the hoof by ≈ 20% compared to the baseline (stiff hoof). Compliant roll and pitch allow the robotic hoof to adapt to the irregularities of the terrain. This produces an antilock braking system-like behavior of the robotic hoof for slip resistance. Therefore, the pastern and coffin joints have a substantial effect on the slip resistance of the robotic hoof, while the fetlock joint has the lowest contribution. These shed insights into how robotic hooves can be used to autonomously improve slip resistance
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