Mechanical design and control system development of novel 2 degree-of-freedom ankle and balance rehabilitation robotic system

Permanent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20193790
Title:
Mechanical design and control system development of novel 2 degree-of-freedom ankle and balance rehabilitation robotic system
Creator:
Farjadian Bejestan, Amir Bahador (Author)
Contributor:
Mavroidis, Constantinos (Advisor)
Makowski, Lee (Committee member)
Holden, Maureen K. (Committee member)
Sipahi, Rifat (Committee member)
Shafai, Bahram (Committee member)
Ruberti, Jeff (Committee member)
Jalili, Nader (Committee member)
Language:
English
Publisher:
Boston, Massachusetts : Northeastern University, 2015
Date Accepted:
May 2015
Date Awarded:
August 2015
Type of resource:
Text
Genre:
Dissertations
Format:
electronic
Digital origin:
born digital
Abstract/Description:
Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States. Ankle and balance disabilities are caused by neurological impairments such as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and stroke. Due to increased survival rates after stroke, significant growth in stroke population is projected by 2030, which will make rehabilitation procedures even more important. Common rehabilitation techniques require intensive cooperation and effort of therapists and patients over prolonged sessions. Conventional ankle and balance rehabilitation systems are built from a simple set of mechanical elements which lack sensory systems or networks. Current more advanced technologies do not combine ankle strength, mobility, motor control and coordinated balance training in one device that can retrain the patients in multiple positions from sitting to standing.

In this work, we present the Virtually-Interfaced Robotic Ankle and Balance Trainer (vi-RABT), a low-cost platform-based robotic system that is designed to improve overall ankle/balance strength, mobility and control. The system is equipped with two degrees-of-freedom (DOF) controlled actuation along with complete means of accurate force and angular measurements. Effective control techniques and virtual reality games were developed and interfaced into the system hardware. Under IRB approved protocol, the system was used to assess ankle force, mobility and motor control in a pool of healthy human subjects, while playing interactive virtual reality games on a large screen. In the next phase, an anisotropic assistive/resistive control paradigm has been implemented into practice, with realistic functionality consistent with the expectations of a Physical Therapy expert. A pilot experiment was conducted to investigate the feasibility of assistive control using vi-RABT.

The inspiring results on the pool of human subjects suggest that, in contrast to the upper extremity, subjects have better control over ankle's position than the force they can regulate. The early results on the assistive control showed that, in the presence of objective force feedback, subjects finished the game in a shorter time and with fewer errors. The ankle rehabilitation aspect of the system is ready to be utilized in physical therapy. Further research is required to develop the balance rehabilitation paradigm. Vi-RABT has the potential to be used for variety of ankle and lower extremity neuromuscular impairments.
Subjects and keywords:
neuro-Rehabilitation
robotics
Robotics in medicine -- Design and construction
Rehabilitation technology -- Design and construction
Ankle -- Wounds and injuries
Movement disorders -- Treatment
Nervous system -- Diseases -- Physical therapy
Cerebrovascular disease -- Patients -- Rehabilitation
Physical therapy -- Technological innovations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17760/D20193790
Permanent Link:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20193790
Use and reproduction:
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