A mechatronic leg replica to benchmark human-exoskeleton physical interactions

: Evaluating human-exoskeleton interaction typically requires experiments with human subjects, which raises safety issues and entails time-consuming testing procedures. This paper presents a mechatronic replica of a human leg, which was designed to quantify physical interaction dynamics between exoskeletons and human limbs without the need for human testing. In the first part of this work, we present the mechanical, electronic, sensory system and software solutions integrated in our leg replica prototype. In the second part, we used the leg replica to test its interaction with two types of commercially available wearable devices, i.e. an active full leg exoskeleton and a passive knee orthosis. We ran basic test examples to demonstrate the functioning and benchmarking potential of the leg replica to assess the effects of joint misalignments on force transmission. The integrated force sensors embedded in the leg replica detected higher interaction forces in the misaligned scenario in comparison to the aligned one, in both active and passive modalities. The small standard deviation of force measurements across cycles demonstrates the potential of the leg replica as a standard test method for reproducible studies of human-exoskeleton physical interaction

Relevance of hazards in exoskeleton applications: a survey-based enquiry

Exoskeletons are becoming the reference technology for assistance and augmentation of human motor functions in a wide range of application domains. Unfortunately, the exponential growth of this sector has not been accompanied by a rigorous risk assessment (RA) process, which is necessary to identify the major aspects concerning the safety and impact of this new technology on humans. This situation may seriously hamper the market uptake of new products. This paper presents the results of a survey that was circulated to understand how hazards are considered by exoskeleton users, from research and industry perspectives. Our analysis aimed to identify the perceived occurrence and the impact of a sample of generic hazards, as well as to collect suggestions and general opinions from the respondents that can serve as a reference for more targeted RA. Our results identified a list of relevant hazards for exoskeletons. Among them, misalignments and unintended device motion were perceived as key aspects for exoskeletons' safety. This survey aims to represent a first attempt in recording overall feedback from the community and contribute to future RAs and the identification of better mitigation strategies in the field

Design of a system for positioning of a ball on a flat surface

Avtomatsko krmiljenje in nadziranje sistemov je vse bolj razširjeno in pomembno v sodobni industriji. Dober primer krmilnega sistema je krmiljenje položaja krogle na ravni podlagi. Samo gibanje krogle po nagibajoči ravni podlagi je nestabilno, če dodamo povratno zanko in krmilno vezje, pa sistem lahko stabiliziramo. Za upravljanje nagibanja podlage smo izdelali mehanski sistem s tremi aktuatorji, za zaznavo položaja krogle pa uporabili dotični zaslon. Uspešno krmiljenje dosežemo z uporabo PID krmilnega algoritma, ki smo ga implementirali na razvojni plošči Arduino DUE. Naš sistem smo matematično modelirali, izdelali blokovni diagram in ga primerjali s fizičnim sistemom. Z uporabo programske opreme MATLAB in blokovno shemo smo določili parametre krmilnika. Dosegli smo, da tudi s poenostavljenim modelom lahko pridobimo parametre, ki ustvarijo stabilen sistem. V delu so prav tako prikazani odzivi sistema za različne parametre PID krmilnika in odzivi na različne vhodne signale.Automatic control and monitoring of systems is increasingly widespread and important in modern industrial environment. A good example of a control system is the control of the position of a ball on a flat surface. The movement of the ball on a tilting flat surface alone is unstable, but adding a feedback loop and a control circuit can stabilise the system. A mechanical system with three actuators was designed to control the tilt of the surface, and a touch panel was used to detect the position of the ball. For successful control, we used a PID control algorithm implemented on the Arduino DUE development board. We have mathematically modelled our system, created a block diagram and compared it with a physical system. Using MATLAB software and a block diagram, the controller parameters were determined. We have shown that even with a simplified model, we can obtain parameters that result in a stable system. The work also shows the system responses for different PID controller parameters and the responses to different input signals

Comparison Between Slovenian and Finnish Preschool Music Education Curriculum

Namen diplomskega dela je pridobiti in zapisati razlike med posameznima kurikularnima glasbenima področjema. Podrobneje so razčlenjeni slovenski in finski izobraževalni sistem, predšolska vzgoja in kurikul. Opredeljeni in podkrepljeni so z ustreznimi zakonskimi akti in predstavljeni v integraciji z vzgojno-izobraževalnimi pristojnim organi. Razlike se prično pojavljati že v sami strukturi izobraževalnega sistema med državama, poglavitna razlika pa je v sestavi kurikula in razdelitvi glasbenega kurikularnega segmenta glede na posamezno državo. Ugotovljeno je, da je finski kurikul bolj razdelan in doslednejši, z vrsto poglavij in podpoglavij, medtem ko je slovenski kurikul skromnejši, saj vsebuje le štiri poglavja, in sicer cilje, načela, otrok v vrtcu in področja dejavnosti. Ugotovljeno je tudi, da je na Finskem predšolska vzgoja na področju glasbe drugačna od slovenske, saj ciljev, načel, vsebin in glasbenih dejavnosti ni mogoče razdeliti na isti način. Finski kurikul se pri glasbeni vzgoji bolj osredotoča na otrokovo učno okolje, pridobitev kulturnih kompetenc, interakcijo z drugimi otroki in izražanje čustev preko glasbe. Prav tako je poudarek na kulturni raznolikosti in jezikovni ozaveščenosti, področja učenja pa so tista, kjer je glasbena vzgoja v kurikulu najbolj prisotna. Lahko bi rekli, da je glasbena vzgoja v slovenskem prostoru bolj sistematično zasnovana v fazi načrtovanja, izvajanja in vrednotenja posameznih glasbenih dejavnosti. Finski sistem prav tako več pozornosti posveča doživljanju in izražanju doživetij oziroma čustvenemu občutenju glasbenih vsebin.The purpose of this thesis is to obtain and note the differences between individual curricular music fields in the two countries. We further elaborated Slovenian and Finnish education system, pre-school education and curriculum. Curriculum is defined and supported by appropriate legal acts and presented in the integration with educational authorities. The differences already begin to appear in the very structure of the education system between the countries, the main difference being in the composition of the curriculum and the division of the musical curriculum segment in each country. It has been established that the Finnish curriculum is more structured and consistent with several chapters and subsections, while the Slovenian curriculum is more modest, as it contains only four chapters, namely goals, principles, children in kindergarten and areas of activity. It is also revealed that in Finnish pre-school education the field of music is different from the Slovene, since the goals, principles, contents and music activities cannot be divided in the same way. In the music education, the Finnish curriculum focuses more on the child\u27s learning environment, the acquisition of cultural competences, the interaction with other children and the expression of emotions through music. The emphasis is on cultural diversity and language awareness and the areas of learning are those where music education in the curriculum is most present. We could claim that music education in Slovenia is systematically based more on the planning, implementation and evaluation of individual musical activities. The Finnish system also devotes more attention to experiencing and expressing experiences or to the emotional sensation of musical content

Relationship between the Frequency of Physical Activities in Kindergarten and the Physical Activity of the Preschool Teacher

V diplomskem delu smo ugotavljali povezavo med pogostostjo izvajanja gibalnih dejavnosti v vrtcu in gibalno aktivnostjo vzgojitelja, da bi raziskali vpliv lastnih prepričanj vzgojitelja na njegovo načrtovanje gibalnih dejavnosti v vrtcu. Subjektivne teorije smo opredelili kot formirane strokovne vrednotne postavke, ki v odprtih kurikulumih pomembno vplivajo na ravnanja vzgojiteljev glede pogostosti vključevanja kurikularnih področij. Povezujemo jih z življenjskim slogom, ki vključuje zdravo prehranjevanje in pomen zadostne gibalne aktivnosti. Na podlagi predstavljenega razberemo pozitivno ali negativno zanko med življenjskim slogom in subjektivnimi teorijami. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti mnenja strokovnih delavcev o pomenu gibanja, analizirati pogostost, intenzivnost in trajanje gibalnih dejavnosti vzgojiteljev in gibalnih aktivnosti, ki jih izvajajo v vrtcu, ugotoviti morebitno povezavo med vzgojiteljevo lastno gibalno aktivnostjo in gibalno dejavnostjo, ki jo izvaja z otroki v vrtcu, ter ugotoviti, ali subjektivna prepričanja vzgojitelja vplivajo na pogostost izvajanja gibalnih dejavnosti v vrtcu. V ta namen smo uporabili kavzalno-neeksperimentalno metodo in kot raziskovalno metodo uporabili anketni vprašalnik, ki so ga izpolnili 103 strokovni delavci. Z izračunom Pearsonovega koeficienta korelacije nismo ugotovili povezave med izbranimi prepričanji vzgojiteljev in pogostostjo izvajanja gibalnih aktivnosti v vrtcu. Ugotovili smo, da imajo sodelujoči v povprečju pozitiven odnos do gibanja in da njihova gibalna aktivnost ni povezana s količino izvajanja gibalnih dejavnosti v vrtcu.In this thesis, we investigated the relationship between the frequency of physical activities in kindergarten and the physical activity of the teacher in order to explore the influence of the teacher\u27s own beliefs on the planning of physical activities in kindergarten. Subjective theories were defined as formed professional value items that in open curricula have a significant influence on educators\u27 actions regarding the frequency of integration of curriculum areas. They are linked to a lifestyle that includes healthy eating and the importance of sufficient physical activity. On the basis of the above, we can draw a positive or negative loop between lifestyle and subjective theories. The aim of the study was to find out professionals\u27 views on the importance of movement, to analyse the frequency, intensity and duration of physical activities of the teachers and the physical activities they do in kindergarten, to find out if there is a possible link between the teacher\u27s own physical activity and the physical activity they do with the children in kindergarten, and to find out if the teacher\u27s subjective beliefs have an influence on the frequency of physical activities in kindergarten. For this purpose, we used a caval-non-experimental method and a survey questionnaire, which was completed by 103 practitioners. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated and no correlation was found between the selected beliefs of the teachers and the frequency of physical activity in kindergarten. We found that on average, participants have positive attitudes towards exercise and that their physical activity is not related to the amount of physical activity they do in kindergarten

Design and Evaluation of the JSI-KneExo: Active, Passive, Pneumatic, Portable Knee Exoskeleton

This paper presents a portable stand-alone pneumatic knee exoskeleton that operates in both passive and active modes. The system can store and recover energy by means of compressed air in passive mode, leading to energy savings. In active mode, a small air pump inflates the pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM), which stores the compressed air, that can be then released into a pneumatic cylinder to generate torque. All electronic and pneumatic components are integrated into the system, and the exoskeleton weighs only 3.9 kg with a maximum torque of 20 Nm in the knee joint. Further, the system is modular, allowing wearability on one or both legs. The paper describes the mechatronic design, mathematical model and includes a validation study with an able-bodied subject performing sit-to-stand and squat-hold exercises. The results show that the exoskeleton can harvest energy while assisting the subject and reduce muscle activity, without compromising transparency. These results suggest that the presented exoskeleton could be a useful low-energy consumption device for individuals with low to moderate lower limb mobility impairments and improve endurance in both clinical and industrial settings.Comment: Preprint version; Manuscript submitted to IEEE Robotics and Automation Letter

A prospective phase II study evaluating intraoperative electrochemotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma

The aim of this clinical study was to investigate the effectiveness and long-term safety of electrochemotherapy as an emerging treatment for HCC in patients not suitable for other treatment options. A prospective phase II clinical study was conducted in patients with primary HCC who were not suitable for other treatment options according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification. A total of 24 patients with 32 tumors were treated by electrochemotherapy. The procedure was effective, feasible, and safe with some procedure-related side effects. The responses of the 32 treated nodules were: 84.4% complete response (CR), 12.5% partial response (PR), and 3.1% stable disease (SD). The treatment was equally effective for nodules located centrally and peripherally. Electrochemotherapy provided a durable response with local tumor control over 50 months of observation in 78.0% of nodules. The patient responses were: 79.2% CR and 16.6% PR. The median progression-free survival was 12 months (range 2.7–50), and the overall survival over 5 years of observation was 72.0%. This prospective phase II clinical study showed that electrochemotherapy was an effective, feasible, and safe option for treating HCC in patients not suitable for other treatment options