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1 – 10 of 453Muhammad Yahya, Jawad Ali Shah, Kushsairy Abdul Kadir, Zulkhairi M. Yusof, Sheroz Khan and Arif Warsi
Motion capture system (MoCap) has been used in measuring the human body segments in several applications including film special effects, health care, outer-space and under-water…
Abstract
Purpose
Motion capture system (MoCap) has been used in measuring the human body segments in several applications including film special effects, health care, outer-space and under-water navigation systems, sea-water exploration pursuits, human machine interaction and learning software to help teachers of sign language. The purpose of this paper is to help the researchers to select specific MoCap system for various applications and the development of new algorithms related to upper limb motion.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides an overview of different sensors used in MoCap and techniques used for estimating human upper limb motion.
Findings
The existing MoCaps suffer from several issues depending on the type of MoCap used. These issues include drifting and placement of Inertial sensors, occlusion and jitters in Kinect, noise in electromyography signals and the requirement of a well-structured, calibrated environment and time-consuming task of placing markers in multiple camera systems.
Originality/value
This paper outlines the issues and challenges in MoCaps for measuring human upper limb motion and provides an overview on the techniques to overcome these issues and challenges.
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This paper seeks to present an inertial motion tracking system for monitoring movements of human upper limbs in order to support a home‐based rehabilitation scheme in which the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to present an inertial motion tracking system for monitoring movements of human upper limbs in order to support a home‐based rehabilitation scheme in which the recovery of stroke patients' motor function through repetitive exercises needs to be continuously monitored and appropriately evaluated.
Design/methodology/approach
Two inertial sensors are placed on the upper and lower arms in order to obtain acceleration and turning rates. Then the position of the upper limbs can be deduced by using the kinematical model of the upper limbs that was designed in the previous paper. The tracking system starts from inertial data acquisition and pre‐filtering, followed by a number of processes such as transformation of coordinate systems of sensor data, and kinematical modelling and optimization of position estimation.
Findings
The motion detector using the proposed kinematic model only has drifts in the measurements. Fusion of acceleration and orientation data can effectively solve the drift problem without the involvement of a Kalman filter.
Research limitations/implications
The image rendering is not undertaken when the data sampling is performed. This non‐synchronization is applied in order to avoid the breaks in the continuous sampling.
Originality/value
This new motion detector can work in different environments without significant drifts. Also, this system only deploys two inertial sensors but is able to estimate the position of the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints.
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To improve the position tracking efficiency of the upper-limb rehabilitation robot for stroke hemiplegia patients, the optimization Learning rate of the membership function based…
Abstract
Purpose
To improve the position tracking efficiency of the upper-limb rehabilitation robot for stroke hemiplegia patients, the optimization Learning rate of the membership function based on the fuzzy impedance controller of the rehabilitation robot is propose.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the impaired limb’s damping and stiffness parameters for evaluating its physical recovery condition are online estimated by using weighted least squares method based on recursive algorithm. Second, the fuzzy impedance control with the rule has been designed with the optimal impedance parameters. Finally, the membership function learning rate online optimization strategy based on Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy impedance model was proposed to improve the position tracking speed of fuzzy impedance control.
Findings
This method provides a solution for improving the membership function learning rate of the fuzzy impedance controller of the upper limb rehabilitation robot. Compared with traditional TS fuzzy impedance controller in position control, the improved TS fuzzy impedance controller has reduced the overshoot stability time by 0.025 s, and the position error caused by simulating the thrust interference of the impaired limb has been reduced by 8.4%. This fact is verified by simulation and test.
Originality/value
The TS fuzzy impedance controller based on membership function online optimization learning strategy can effectively optimize control parameters and improve the position tracking speed of upper limb rehabilitation robots. This controller improves the auxiliary rehabilitation efficiency of the upper limb rehabilitation robot and ensures the stability of auxiliary rehabilitation training.
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Koichi Kirihara, Norihiko Saga and Naoki Saito
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a device to support rehabilitation of a patient's upper limb motion.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a device to support rehabilitation of a patient's upper limb motion.
Design/methodology/approach
The device has five degrees of freedom by virtue of its link mechanism. It consists of Joints 1‐5. Apparatus for use in so‐called welfare applications, such as this device, must be safe, flexible, and lightweight. A pneumatic cylinder, arranged and integrated with the device, was used to operate it. The device has two rehabilitation modes corresponding to different rehabilitation contents. The first mode is the muscular recovery and movable region expansion mode (Mode A). The second mode is a practical function recovery mode (Mode B). A compliance control and a position control system are applied for those modes.
Findings
By arranging the pneumatic cylinder optimally, results show that the device has compact and wide operating range and compliance‐control performance for Mode A. Position‐control performance for Mode B was verified experimentally. Moreover, the paper evaluates the effectiveness of the device and its control system through electromyography, which confirms that the developed device can support a patient's rehabilitation training.
Originality/value
The device has a simple link mechanism and an attached pneumatic cylinder, thereby constituting a lightweight and compact mechanism. The device has two rehabilitation modes corresponding to different rehabilitation contents. Using the device, a patient can conduct muscular power recovery training, movable region expansion training, and upper limb practical function recovery training.
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Keywords
Leiyu Zhang, Jianfeng Li, Shuting Ji, Peng Su, Chunjing Tao and Run Ji
Upper-limb joint kinematics are highly complex and the kinematics of rehabilitation exoskeletons fail to reproduce them, resulting in hyperstaticity and human–machine…
Abstract
Purpose
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.
Design/methodology/approach
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.
Findings
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.
Originality/value
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.
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Ziyu Liao, Bai Chen, Tianzuo Chang, Qian Zheng, Keming Liu and Junnan Lv
Supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) are a new type of wearable robot, which improve the user’s operating and perceive the user’s environment by extra robotic limbs. There are some…
Abstract
Purpose
Supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) are a new type of wearable robot, which improve the user’s operating and perceive the user’s environment by extra robotic limbs. There are some literature reviews about the SRLs’ key technology and development trend, but the design of SRLs has not been fully discussed and summarized. This paper aims to focus on the design of SRLs and provides a comprehensive review of the ontological structure design of SRLs.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the related literature of SRLs is summarized and analyzed by VOSviewer. The structural features of different types of SRLs are extracted, and then discuss the design approach and characteristics of SRLs which are different from typical wearable robots.
Findings
The design concept of SRLs is different from the conventional wearable robots. SRLs have various reconfiguration and installed positions, and it will influence the safety and cooperativeness performance of SRLs.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on discussing the structural design of SRLs by literature review, and this review will help researchers understand the structural features of SRLs and key points of the ontological design of SRLs, which can be used as a reference for designing SRLs.
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Yassine Bouteraa, Ismail Ben Abdallah and Ahmed Elmogy
The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a new robotic device for the rehabilitation of the upper limbs. The authors are focusing on a new symmetrical robot which can be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a new robotic device for the rehabilitation of the upper limbs. The authors are focusing on a new symmetrical robot which can be used to rehabilitate the right upper limb and the left upper limb. The robotic arm can be automatically extended or reduced depending on the measurements of the patient's arm. The main idea is to integrate electrical stimulation into motor rehabilitation by robot. The goal is to provide automatic electrical stimulation based on muscle status during the rehabilitation process.
Design/methodology/approach
The developed robotic arm can be automatically extended or reduced depending on the measurements of the patient's arm. The system merges two rehabilitation strategies: motor rehabilitation and electrical stimulation. The goal is to take the advantages of both approaches. Electrical stimulation is often used for building muscle through endurance, resistance and strength exercises. However, in the proposed approach the electrical stimulation is used for recovery, relaxation and pain relief. In addition, the device includes an electromyography (EMG) muscle sensor that records muscle activity in real time. The control architecture provides the ability to automatically activate the appropriate stimulation mode based on the acquired EMG signal. The system software provides two modes for stimulation activation: the manual preset mode and the EMG driven mode. The program ensures traceability and provides the ability to issue a patient status monitoring report.
Findings
The developed robotic device is symmetrical and reconfigurable. The presented rehabilitation system includes a muscle stimulator associated with the robot to improve the quality of the rehabilitation process. The integration of neuromuscular electrical stimulation into the physical rehabilitation process offers effective rehabilitation sessions for neuromuscular recovery of the upper limb. A laboratory-made stimulator is developed to generate three modes of stimulation: pain relief, massage and relaxation. Through the control software interface, the physiotherapist can set the exercise movement parameters, define the stimulation mode and record the patient training in real time.
Research limitations/implications
There are certain constraints when applying the proposed method, such as the sensitivity of the acquired EMG signals. This involves the use of professional equipment and mainly the implementation of sophisticated algorithms for signal extraction.
Practical implications
Functional electrical stimulation and robot-based motor rehabilitation are the most important technologies applied in post-stroke rehabilitation. The main objective of integrating robots into the rehabilitation process is to compensate for the functions lost in people with physical disabilities. The stimulation technique can be used for recovery, relaxation and drainage and pain relief. In this context, the idea is to integrate electrical stimulation into motor rehabilitation based on a robot to obtain the advantages of the two approaches to further improve the rehabilitation process. The introduction of this type of robot also makes it possible to develop new exciting assistance devices.
Originality/value
The proposed design is symmetrical, reconfigurable and light, covering all the joints of the upper limbs and their movements. In addition, the developed platform is inexpensive and a portable solution based on open source hardware platforms which opens the way to more extensions and developments. Electrical stimulation is often used to improve motor function and restore loss of function. However, the main objective behind the proposed stimulation in this paper is to recover after effort. The novelty of the proposed solution is to integrate the electrical stimulation powered by EMG in robotic rehabilitation.
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Mohd Anwar Zawawi, Sinead O'Keffe and Elfed Lewis
The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative review of intensity‐modulated fiber optic sensors with non‐optical sensors for health monitoring applications, from the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative review of intensity‐modulated fiber optic sensors with non‐optical sensors for health monitoring applications, from the current research activities in the area.
Design/methodology/approach
A range of published research work in sensor design for four different health monitoring applications, including, lumbar spine bending, upper and lower limb motion tracking, respiration and heart rate monitoring, are presented and discussed in terms of their respective advantages and limitations.
Findings
This paper provides information on the various types of sensors applied into the health monitoring area. The sensing techniques of the fiber optic sensor for the stated applications are focused and compared in details to highlight their contributions.
Originality/value
A comparative review of published work is illustrated in an informative table content, to allow a clear idea of the current sensing approaches for health monitoring applications.
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This paper aims to propose a new upper limb movement classification with two phases like pre-processing and classification. Investigation of human limb movements is a significant…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a new upper limb movement classification with two phases like pre-processing and classification. Investigation of human limb movements is a significant topic in biomedical engineering, particularly for treating patients. Usually, the limb movement is examined by analyzing the signals that occurred by the movements. However, only few attempts were made to explore the correlations among the movements that are recognized by the human brain.
Design/methodology/approach
The initial process is the pre-processing that is performed for detecting and removing noisy channels. The artifacts are marked by band-pass filtering that discovers the values below and above thresholds of 200 and –200 µV, correspondingly. It also discovers the trials with unusual joint probabilities, and the trials with unusual kurtosis are also determined using this method. After this, the pre-processed signals are subjected to a classification process, where the neural network (NN) model is used. The model finally classifies six movements like “elbow extension, elbow flexion, forearm pronation, forearm supination, hand open, and hand close,” respectively. To make the classification more accurate, this paper intends to optimize the weights of NN by a new hybrid algorithm known as bypass integrated jaya algorithm (BI-JA) that hybrids the concept of rider optimization algorithm (ROA) and JA. Finally, the performance of the proposed model is proved over other conventional models concerning certain measures like accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision, false positive rate, false negative rate, false discovery rate, F1-score and Matthews correlation coefficient.
Findings
From the analysis, the adopted BI-JA-NN model in terms of accuracy was high at 80th population size was 7.85%, 3.66%, 7.53%, 2.09% and 0.52% better than Levenberg–Marquardt (LM)-NN, firefly (FF)-NN, JA-NN, whale optimization algorithm (WOA)-NN and ROA-NN algorithms. On considering sensitivity, the proposed method was 2%, 0.2%, 5.01%, 0.29% and 0.3% better than LM-NN, FF-NN, JA-NN, WOA-NN and ROA-NN algorithms at 50th population size. Also, the specificity of the implemented BI-JA-NN model at 80th population size was 7.47%, 4%, 7.05%, 2.1% and 0.5% better than LM-NN, FF-NN, JA-NN, WOA-NN and ROA-NN algorithms. Thus, the betterment of the presented scheme was proved.
Originality/value
This paper adopts the latest optimization algorithm called BI-JA to introduce a new upper limb movement classification with two phases like pre-processing and classification. This is the first work that uses BI-JA based optimization for improving the upper limb movement detection using electroencephalography signals.
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Yosuke Horiba, Ayumu Tokutake and S. Inui
Mobility is one of the important elements in clothing design. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictability of clothing mobility via musculoskeletal simulation.
Abstract
Purpose
Mobility is one of the important elements in clothing design. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictability of clothing mobility via musculoskeletal simulation.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to carry out the musculoskeletal simulation considering the influence of clothing, simulation of the dressed state was attempted. This paper simulated the dressed state and measured the motion-related deformation of the clothing to estimate the force applied to the human body based on the material property of the clothing samples. The dressed state was simulated using an external force in the musculoskeletal model.
Findings
When the elbow flexion torque with an elbow supporter was calculated using the above-mentioned method of musculoskeletal simulation, it was confirmed that the lower the stretchability of the sample, the higher the elbow flexion torque. In addition, the sensory evaluation performed under the same condition as that in the simulation showed that the lower the joint torque during the motion, the higher the subjective mobility, and that the higher the joint torque, the lower the subjective mobility. Thus, it is suggested that musculoskeletal simulation of the dressed state can predict the clothing mobility.
Research limitations/implications
However, the method proposed in this paper requires the measurement of the deformation of the clothing to estimate the force applied to the human body. Thus, it is difficult to apply this in the measurement of general clothing that allows enough space between it and the human body, requiring further improvement of the dressed state simulation method.
Originality/value
Because it is difficult to estimate the force applied by the clothing to the human body, only a few studies have performed analysis on the effect of clothing by using musculoskeletal simulation. Conversely, although the force applied by the clothing to the human body needs to be estimated in advance by the measurement of the deformation, the utility of the simulation in clothing design seems to be high because the simulation can estimate clothing mobility and the effects of clothing on muscle activity.
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