A method for adjusting moment input on an exoskeleton robot with fixed linear actuators

Abstract

Patients who lose walking ability get rehabilitation services that consist of repeated movements of the lower limbs such that the patients can regain their ability to move. Unfortunately, the change in the number of patients and need for gait rehabilitation is inversely proportional with the number of physiotherapists. There are many robotic rehabilitation systems available which are generally expensive. There is a direct need for an inexpensive rehabilitation robot that can be afforded (or can be reached) by the majority of people. As a solution to this problem, a pneumatically actuated, 4° of freedom exoskeleton robot for the movement of a patient in sagittal plane and which can be used together with a body weight support system has been developed. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in how pneumatic linear actuation is used to adjust the torque required to move a limb for a particular patient. The proposed system has also a simpler control technique than other available complicated and more advanced systems.