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Many studies have shown that rehabilitation robots are crucial for lower limb dysfunction, but application of many robotics have yet to be seen to actual use in China. This study aimed to improve a lower limb rehabilitation robot by details improving and practical design.

Structures and control system of a lower limb rehabilitation robot are improved in detail, including joint calculations, comfort analysis and feedback logic creation, and prototype experiments on healthy individuals and patients are conducted in a hospital.

All participating subjects did not experience any problems. The experiment shows detail improving is reasonable, and feasibility of the robot was confirmed, which has potential for overcoming difficulties and problems in practical application.

Therapeutic effects need to be evaluated in the future. Also, more details should be improved continuously based on the actual demand.

The improved robot could assist the lower limb during standing or walking, which has significance for practical application and patients in China.

Upper-limb joint kinematics are highly complex and the kinematics of rehabilitation exoskeletons fail to reproduce them, resulting in hyperstaticity and human–machine incompatibility. The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a compatible exoskeleton robot (Co-Exos II) to address these problems.

The configuration synthesis of Co-Exos II is completed using advanced mechanism theory. A compatible configuration is selected and four passive joints are introduced into the connecting interfaces based on optimal configuration principles. A Co-Exos II prototype with nine degrees of freedom (DOFs) is developed and still owns a compact structure and volume. A new approach is presented to compensate the vertical glenohumeral (GH) movements. Co-Exos II and the upper arm are simplified as a guide-bar mechanism at the elevating plane. The theoretical displacements of passive joints are calculated by the kinematic model of the shoulder loop. The compatible experiments are completed to measure the kinematics of passive joints.

The compatible configuration of the passive joints can effectively reduce the gravity influences of the exoskeleton device and the upper extremities. The passive joints exhibit excellent compensation effect for the GH joint movements by comparing the theoretical and measured results. Passive joints can compensate for most GH movements, especially vertical movements.

Co-Exos II possesses good human–machine compatibility and wearable comfort for the affected upper limbs. The proposed compensation method is convenient to therapists and stroke patients during the rehabilitation trainings.