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Article
Publication date: 15 May 2017

Jian Li, Diansheng Chen, Chunjing Tao and Hui Li

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…

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Abstract

Purpose

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.

Design/methodology/approach

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.

Findings

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.

Research limitations/implications

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

Originality/value

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

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 44 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2024

Yuepeng Zhang, Guangzhong Cao, Linglong Li and Dongfeng Diao

The purpose of this paper is to design a new trajectory error compensation method to improve the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of the knee exoskeleton in…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to design a new trajectory error compensation method to improve the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of the knee exoskeleton in human–exoskeleton interaction motion.

Design/methodology/approach

A trajectory error compensation method based on admittance-extended Kalman filter (AEKF) error fusion for human–exoskeleton interaction control. The admittance controller is used to calculate the trajectory error adjustment through the feedback human–exoskeleton interaction force, and the actual trajectory error is obtained through the encoder feedback of exoskeleton and the designed trajectory. By using the fusion and prediction characteristics of EKF, the calculated trajectory error adjustment and the actual error are fused to obtain a new trajectory error compensation, which is feedback to the knee exoskeleton controller. This method is designed to be capable of improving the trajectory tracking performance of the knee exoskeleton and enhancing the compliance of knee exoskeleton interaction.

Findings

Six volunteers conducted comparative experiments on four different motion frequencies. The experimental results show that this method can effectively improve the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of the knee exoskeleton in human–exoskeleton interaction.

Originality/value

The AEKF method first uses the data fusion idea to fuse the estimated error with measurement errors, obtaining more accurate trajectory error compensation for the knee exoskeleton motion control. This work provides great benefits for the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of lower limb exoskeletons in human–exoskeleton interaction movements.

Details

Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-6969

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Du-Xin Liu, Xinyu Wu, Wenbin Du, Can Wang, Chunjie Chen and Tiantian Xu

The purpose of this paper is to model and predict suitable gait trajectories of lower-limb exoskeleton for wearer during rehabilitation walking. Lower-limb exoskeleton is widely…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to model and predict suitable gait trajectories of lower-limb exoskeleton for wearer during rehabilitation walking. Lower-limb exoskeleton is widely used for assisting walk in rehabilitation field. One key problem for exoskeleton control is to model and predict suitable gait trajectories for wearer.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors propose a Deep Spatial-Temporal Model (DSTM) for generating knee joint trajectory of lower-limb exoskeleton, which first leverages Long-Short Term Memory framework to learn the inherent spatial-temporal correlations of gait features.

Findings

With DSTM, the pathological knee joint trajectories can be predicted based on subject’s other joints. The energy expenditure is adopted for verifying the effectiveness of new recovery gait pattern by monitoring dynamic heart rate. The experimental results demonstrate that the subjects have less energy expenditure in new recovery gait pattern than in others’ normal gait patterns, which also means the new recovery gait is more suitable for subject.

Originality/value

Long-Short Term Memory framework is first used for modeling rehabilitation gait, and the deep spatial–temporal relationships between joints of gait data can obtained successfully.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 37 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 August 2013

Emily R. Rosario, Melissa R. Bustos and Colleen Moore

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a significant public health problem that affect an estimated 1.7 million US residents yearly. TBI patients experience a variety of symptoms…

Abstract

Purpose

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a significant public health problem that affect an estimated 1.7 million US residents yearly. TBI patients experience a variety of symptoms related to physical functioning, sensory processing, cognition, communication, behavior, and mental health, all of which differ in severity by individual. Recent evidence suggests that hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction may be impacting recovery. The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness about the frequency of hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction following a TBI and its effect on functional recovery.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the literature regarding hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction following TBI and discusses the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for individuals with hormone deficiencies.

Findings

The rate of hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction following TBI has been reported as anywhere between 25 and 80 percent. Specifically, abnormal hormone levels, both chronic and acute, are generally estimated to be approximately 5-22 percent for thyroid hormones, 15-33 percent for growth hormone (GH), and 25-80 percent for testosterone. The effect of hypopituitarism has been reported on several aspects cognitive and physical function as well as overall quality of life. In these studies, GH and testosterone deficiencies appear to underlie the observed impairments.

Originality/value

The paper suggests the importance of understanding and screening for hypothalamic pituitary dysfunction as hormone replacement therapy may be a beneficial intervention to promote physical and cognitive rehabilitation.

Details

Social Care and Neurodisability, vol. 4 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-0919

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2021

Fashu Xu, Rui Huang, Hong Cheng, Min Fan and Jing Qiu

This paper aims at the problem of attaching the data of doctors, patients and the real-time sensor data of the exoskeleton to the cloud in intelligent rehabilitation applications…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims at the problem of attaching the data of doctors, patients and the real-time sensor data of the exoskeleton to the cloud in intelligent rehabilitation applications. This study designed the exoskeleton cloud-brain platform and validated its safety assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the dimension of data and the transmission speed, this paper implements a three-layer cloud-brain platform of exoskeleton based on Alibaba Cloud's Lambda-like architecture. At the same time, given the human–machine safety status detection problem of the exoskeleton, this paper built a personalized machine-learning safety detection module for users with the multi-dimensional sensor data cloned by the cloud-brain platform. This module includes an abnormality detection model, prediction model and state classification model of the human–machine state.

Findings

These functions of the exoskeleton cloud-brain and the algorithms based on it were validated by the experiments, they meet the needs of use.

Originality/value

This thesis innovatively proposes a cloud-brain platform for exoskeletons, beginning the digitalization and intelligence of the exoskeletal rehabilitation process and laying the foundation for future intelligent assistance systems.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 41 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2021

Rupinder Kaur Dhillon and Mahesh Sharma

The purpose of this study is to see whether the figure of eight walkings (F8W) is a reliable outcome measure in rehabilitation care especially for the older population who need…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to see whether the figure of eight walkings (F8W) is a reliable outcome measure in rehabilitation care especially for the older population who need extensive consideration in their practical functional affairs.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature review was conducted by researching various databases such as Google Scholar, Pub Med and Web of Science, Scopus. Journals with Good impact factors were included in this study.

Findings

This review suggested that F8W could be the realistic outcome measure for rehabilitation in patients with musculoskeletal and neurological dysfunctions that could identify disability and functional impairments more deeply. Future studies in this field may provide further exploration in physiotherapy rehabilitation.

Research limitations/implications

The study was a short review with limited resources. Its’ findings and outputs must be considered prelusive.

Practical implications

The accustomed routine of manhood accounts for constant twists and turns which is entirely incompatible with a linear walk. In such a manner, walking in the figure of eight could detect the major perplexity faced by an individual in his habitual pursuing affairs predominately in orthopedics and neurological disorders.

Originality/value

The study has suggested the utility of F8W as a reliable tool in the rehabilitation of the elder population, evidence suggests, F8W constitutes curvy and straight paths, which could trace troubles while turning and maintaining coordination. These results of this study can serve as a foundation for future studies.

Article
Publication date: 17 June 2021

Ru Han and Sumin Helen Koo

This research was to understand people's perceptions and trends in wearable robots and the research questions were as follows: (1) investigating key terms related to wearable…

Abstract

Purpose

This research was to understand people's perceptions and trends in wearable robots and the research questions were as follows: (1) investigating key terms related to wearable robots that were frequently used by and exposed to people and (2) analyzing relationships among those key terms.

Design/methodology/approach

Textom, a big data collection and analysis software system, was used to collect data using the keyword – wearable robot.

Findings

The frequency-inverse document frequency, term frequency and central analyses were investigated, and the major key terms related to wearable robots and their connectivity were identified. After performing network analysis and convergence of iterated correlations analyses using UCINET and NetDraw programs, the major key term categories were identified.

Originality/value

It is important to understand how people think and perceive about wearable robots before developing wearable robots. The results of the research are expected to be helpful to better understand how people perceive and what key terms are mainly discussed by people in both countries and ultimately help when developing wearable robots with better market targeting approach methods.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 August 2021

Qiang Cao, Jianfeng Li and Mingjie Dong

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate three categories of four-degrees of freedom (4-DOFs) upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton mechanisms from the perspective of relative…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate three categories of four-degrees of freedom (4-DOFs) upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton mechanisms from the perspective of relative movement offsets between the upper limb and the exoskeleton, so as to provide reference for the selection of exoskeleton mechanism configurations.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the configuration synthesis and optimum principles of 4-DOFs upper limb exoskeleton mechanisms, three categories of exoskeletons compatible with upper limb were proposed. From the perspective of human exoskeleton closed chain, through reasonable decomposition and kinematic characteristics analysis of passive connective joints, the kinematic equations of three categories exoskeletons were established and inverse position solution method were addressed. Subsequently, three indexes, which can represent the relative movement offsets of human–exoskeleton were defined.

Findings

Based on the presented position solution and evaluation indexes, the joint displacements and relative movement offsets of the three exoskeletons during eating movement were compared, on which the kinematic characteristics were investigated. The results indicated that the second category of exoskeleton was more suitable for upper limb rehabilitation than the other two categories.

Originality/value

This paper has a certain reference value for the selection of the 4-DOFs upper extremity rehabilitation exoskeleton mechanism configurations. The selected exoskeleton can ensure the safety and comfort of stroke patients with upper limb dyskinesia during rehabilitation training.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 49 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 December 2022

Meby Mathew, Mervin Joe Thomas, M.G. Navaneeth, Shifa Sulaiman, A.N. Amudhan and A.P. Sudheer

The purpose of this review paper is to address the substantial challenges of the outdated exoskeletons used for rehabilitation and further study the current advancements in this…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this review paper is to address the substantial challenges of the outdated exoskeletons used for rehabilitation and further study the current advancements in this field. The shortcomings and technological developments in sensing the input signals to enable the desired motions, actuation, control and training methods are explained for further improvements in exoskeleton research.

Design/methodology/approach

Search platforms such as Web of Science, IEEE, Scopus and PubMed were used to collect the literature. The total number of recent articles referred to in this review paper with relevant keywords is filtered to 143.

Findings

Exoskeletons are getting smarter often with the integration of various modern tools to enhance the effectiveness of rehabilitation. The recent applications of bio signal sensing for rehabilitation to perform user-desired actions promote the development of independent exoskeleton systems. The modern concepts of artificial intelligence and machine learning enable the implementation of brain–computer interfacing (BCI) and hybrid BCIs in exoskeletons. Likewise, novel actuation techniques are necessary to overcome the significant challenges seen in conventional exoskeletons, such as the high-power requirements, poor back drivability, bulkiness and low energy efficiency. Implementation of suitable controller algorithms facilitates the instantaneous correction of actuation signals for all joints to obtain the desired motion. Furthermore, applying the traditional rehabilitation training methods is monotonous and exhausting for the user and the trainer. The incorporation of games, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies in exoskeletons has made rehabilitation training far more effective in recent times. The combination of electroencephalogram and electromyography-based hybrid BCI is desirable for signal sensing and controlling the exoskeletons based on user intentions. The challenges faced with actuation can be resolved by developing advanced power sources with minimal size and weight, easy portability, lower cost and good energy storage capacity. Implementation of novel smart materials enables a colossal scope for actuation in future exoskeleton developments. Improved versions of sliding mode control reported in the literature are suitable for robust control of nonlinear exoskeleton models. Optimizing the controller parameters with the help of evolutionary algorithms is also an effective method for exoskeleton control. The experiments using VR/AR and games for rehabilitation training yielded promising results as the performance of patients improved substantially.

Research limitations/implications

Robotic exoskeleton-based rehabilitation will help to reduce the fatigue of physiotherapists. Repeated and intention-based exercise will improve the recovery of the affected part at a faster pace. Improved rehabilitation training methods like VR/AR-based technologies help in motivating the subject.

Originality/value

The paper describes the recent methods for signal sensing, actuation, control and rehabilitation training approaches used in developing exoskeletons. All these areas are key elements in an exoskeleton where the review papers are published very limitedly. Therefore, this paper will stand as a guide for the researchers working in this domain.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 50 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1991

Zhiyong Hong, Keguang Bao and Clem Tisdell

Summarises the environmental cadmium loading, human body cadmium(Cd) burden and the biological indicators of the early‐stage healtheffects induced by exposure to cadmium on the…

Abstract

Summarises the environmental cadmium loading, human body cadmium (Cd) burden and the biological indicators of the early‐stage health effects induced by exposure to cadmium on the population of Daye county in China. Claims that urinary calcium and urinary low molecular weight protein are good biological indicators for the detection of the early‐stage renal dysfunction and recommend that the prevention and treatment of cadmium pollution be incorporated into primary health care. Cost‐benefit analysis of reduction of Cd emissions from the non‐ferrous smelter in Daye county indicates that the benefit‐cost ratio taking into account both direct health costs and indirect costs is far in excess of unity.

Details

Environmental Management and Health, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-6163

Keywords

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