A Computational Approach for Human-like Motion Generation in Upper Limb Exoskeletons Supporting Scapulohumeral Rhythms

This paper proposes a computational approach for generation of reference path for upper-limb exoskeletons considering the scapulohumeral rhythms of the shoulder. The proposed method can be used in upper-limb exoskeletons with 3 Degrees of Freedom (DoF) in shoulder and 1 DoF in elbow, which are capable of supporting shoulder girdle. The developed computational method is based on Central Nervous System (CNS) governing rules. Existing computational reference generation methods are based on the assumption of fixed shoulder center during motions. This assumption can be considered valid for reaching movements with limited range of motion (RoM). However, most upper limb motions such as Activities of Daily Living (ADL) include large scale inward and outward reaching motions, during which the center of shoulder joint moves significantly. The proposed method generates the reference motion based on a simple model of human arm and a transformation can be used to map the developed motion for other exoskeleton with different kinematics. Comparison of the model outputs with experimental results of healthy subjects performing ADL, show that the proposed model is able to reproduce human-like motions.Comment: In 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Wearable & Rehabilitation Robotics (WeRob2017

Primary immunodeficiency disorders in Iran: Update and new insights from the third report of the national registry

Background: Primary immunodeficiency disorders (PID) are a group of heterogeneous disorders mainly characterized by severe and recurrent infections and increased susceptibility to malignancies, lymphoproliferative and autoimmune conditions. National registries of PID disorders provide epidemiological data and increase the awareness of medical personnel as well as health care providers. Methods: This study presents the demographic data and clinical manifestations of Iranian PID patients who were diagnosed from March 2006 till the March of 2013 and were registered in Iranian PID Registry (IPIDR) after its second report of 2006. Results: A total number of 731 new PID patients (455 male and 276 female) from 14 medical centers were enrolled in the current study. Predominantly antibody deficiencies were the most common subcategory of PID (32.3 %) and were followed by combined immunodeficiencies (22.3 %), congenital defects of phagocyte number, function, or both (17.4 %), well-defined syndromes with immunodeficiency (17.2 %), autoinflammatory disorders (5.2 %), diseases of immune dysregulation (2.6 %), defects in innate immunity (1.6 %), and complement deficiencies (1.4 %). Severe combined immunodeficiency was the most common disorder (21.1 %). Other prevalent disorders were common variable immunodeficiency (14.9 %), hyper IgE syndrome (7.7 %), and selective IgA deficiency (7.5 %). Conclusions: Registration of Iranian PID patients increased the awareness of medical community of Iran and developed diagnostic and therapeutic techniques across more parts of the country. Further efforts must be taken by increasing the coverage of IPIDR via electronically registration and gradual referral system in order to provide better estimation of PID in Iran and reduce the number of undiagnosed cases. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media

Electromechanical Design and Control of an Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeleton

Motor disabilities caused by neurological disorders such as stroke are a prevailing health issue in modern societies. To expedite the rehabilitation of patients with such disabilities, the scientific community has been exploring the possibility of utilizing technologically advanced methods to enhance the neuroplasticity of the brain after injury. Robotic systems have been the cornerstone of a category of such efforts, focused on increasing the intensity and diversifying the sensory feedback experienced by the patient. In particular, exoskeletons are found to be very promising for assistive and therapeutic applications due to their ability in producing controlled torque in individual joints of the paretic limb. Despite the continuous efforts of the research community, there are still major issues for large-scale adoption of exoskeleton-based rehabilitation in clinical settings. This dissertation seeks solutions to some of the short-comings of available upper-limb rehabilitation exoskeletons, both in design level and control algorithm development. The focus of the design efforts outlined in this work is optimization and electro-mechanical embodiment of a kinematic structure, developed in our research group. Two upper-limb exoskeletons, CLEVERarm, and CURE are developed based on the same kinematic architecture, but with different design philosophies. While compactness and reduction of weight are the main design criteria of CLEVERarm, the design of CURE is focused on achieving high mechanical compliance. In addition to the innovative designs, the development of therapeutic control strategies tailored for rehabilitation applications is the second major contribution of this research work. The novel control strategy proposed in this dissertation is aimed at achieving arm posture control, without imposing explicit timing laws. The proposed method uses the nonlinear control framework to robustly impose a set of holonomic constraints on the system which describe the correct posture of the arm during a motion. The proposed controller was implemented on CLEVERarm and tested on healthy subjects. The results of the experiments confirmed the expected functionality of the controller