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Nerve injury can cause lower limb paralysis and gait disorder. Currently lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton robots used in the hospitals need more power to correct abnormal motor patterns of stroke patients’ legs. These gait rehabilitation robots are powered by cumbersome and bulky electric motors, which provides a poor user experience. A newly developed gait rehabilitation exoskeleton robot actuated by low-cost and lightweight pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) is presented in this research. A model-free proxy-based sliding mode control (PSMC) strategy and a model-based chattering mitigation robust variable control (CRVC) strategy were developed and first applied in rehabilitation trainings, respectively. As the dynamic response of PAM due to the compressed air is low, an innovative intention identification control strategy was taken in active trainings by the use of the subject’s intention indirectly through the estimation of the interaction force between the subject’s leg and the exoskeleton. The proposed intention identification strategy was verified by treadmill-based gait training experiments.

This paper proposes and evaluates the application of a modular dynamic recurrent neural network (DRNN) to classify upper limb motion using myoelectric signals. The DRNN algorithmic issues, including the structure selection, the segmentation of the data and various feature sets such as time-domain features and frequency features, were evaluated experimentally in order to actualize the optimization and configuration of this classification scheme. This was achieved by using a majority vote technique to post-process the output decision stream. The DRNN-based approach was then been compared with two commonly used classification methods: multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The DRNN-based motion classification system demonstrated exceptional accuracy and a low computational load for the classification of robust limb motion. The DRNN may also display utility for online training and controlling rehabilitation robots.

In this study, a hybrid impedance control-based portable ankle rehabilitation robot that can perform therapeutic exercises for the ankle has been developed. This 1-DOF robot can perform plantar flexion and dorsiflexion movements for the ankle. The capacity of the robotic system to perform therapeutic exercises was tested with subjects. Isotonic and resistive exercises were tested with 10 healthy subjects and stretching exercise was tested with a patient. The results showed that the hybrid impedance controlled robotic system can successfully perform passive stretching, active isotonic and active resistive exercises by providing a safe human-robot interaction. Especially when a sudden resistance increase occurs in the joint, the hybrid impedance controller acts like a physiotherapist and performs the movement without damaging the joint.

This paper presents a wearable exoskeleton upper limb rehabilitation robot that consists of eight active joints and one passive joint. Each active joint is driven by two pneumatic muscles (PMs) in opposing pair configuration and each PM drives the joint through a steel wire with a flexible sleeve and a tension device. These factors incorporate with characteristics of PM make the rehabilitation robot system very complex (nonlinear, time-varying, and time-delay). In this paper, the friction force and characteristics of open-loop control of one of the robotic joints has been studied. The quasi-static model of the robotic joint have been established based on experimental methods. In addition, the performances of three control modes have also been researched. These works would be helpful to the future work such as the control of the rehabilitation robot.

From early industrial prototypes in the 1960s and 1970s to sophisticated systems integrated into contemporary medical practice, healthcare robotics has come a long way in the last 10 years. Human potential has been enhanced by robotics in many ways, most notably in the areas of safety, accuracy, and repeatability. When paired with artificial intelligence (AI), these developments have enormous potential for the healthcare industry in the 21st century. These days, robots help in various places, such as healthcare facilities, assisted living apartments, and rehabilitation centers. For example, Aethon’s TUG robots carry supplies throughout hospitals effectively and lessen the effort of hospital staff. The main applications of healthcare robotics, including telepresence, rehabilitation, and operating rooms, are outlined in this chapter. Giraff and other telepresence robots allow doctors to observe patients from a distance. Hugo^TM RAS system from Medtronic has recently garnered notice because of its availability as a modular minimally invasive surgery solution that directly competes with the Da Vinci System in hospitals across the globe. Taking a focus on surgery rooms, telemedicine, and assistive care, this manuscript offers a broad review of the most recent advancements in healthcare robotics. It highlights the difficulties in properly integrating these technologies into the medical field.

Cerebrovascular accident or stroke in aging population is the primary cause of disability and the second leading cause of death in many countries, including Spain. Arm impairment is common and the recovery is partly dependent on the intensity and frequency of rehabilitation intervention. However, physical therapy resources are often limited, so methods of supplementing traditional physiotherapy, such as robot assisted therapy, are essential. This paper describes design, development and control aspects of a planar robot driven by pneumatic swivel modules for upper-limb rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Moreover, first experimental results with one post-stroke patient are presented to show the benefits of using the proposed system.

Active orthoses and powered exoskeletons, among other denominations, are devices made to attach to one or several human limbs in order to assist their movement through means of electronically controlled actuators and/or mechanical brakes. The technology developed for these devices can be used in many situations, such as rehabilitation, industrial and general strength enhancement purposes. In order to create a comprehensive state-of-the-art work, several online scientific databases were used to gather articles related to this subject, using the terms "Exoskeleton", "Orthosis", "Orthesis" and "Rehabilitation Robot". This survey resulted in the retrieval of 169 articles. Afterward, a custom database was created to contain, organize and cross the information gathered from each relevant article. This work presents statistical results regarding research development localization, actuation technologies and the man-machine interface. Out of the 123 identified projects/prototypes, 89 are primarily dedicated to rehabilitation activities and 14 refer to strength enhancement. From 2005 onwards, the results show that the DC Motor is the most used, being present in 56% of all the projects and in 47% of mobile devices with weight constraints. The electromyographic sensor is the most used sensor type. By grouping all sensors into physical variable classes, the force-related sensors show a higher number of occurrences. Regarding the localization of the research and development over these devices, the United States of America is the country with the largest dedication, followed by Japan.

Considering of the function requirement of the lower limb rehabilitation robot to achieve corrective walking, a mode of robot was proposed and a model machine was developed. Based on the control objective of according walking training, expected hip and knee angles and the load needed in strength training, the driving force on wires produced by the robot was calculated by giving known force on wire 1 to determine the other wires. A tension sensor calibration was done on the robot. And two wire driven function experiments were done under different condition based on it. It was indicated that the control system of the model machine was able to meet the required stability and controllability, and the accuracy and response rate of the wire output force were up to the control demand of rehabilitation training. The paper has a great significance on servo control of wire-driven parallel robot.