DARTAGNAN a self-balanced rehabilitation robot able to work in active and passive modes on both sides of upper and lower limbs

Abstract

The article deals with a new six degrees of freedom system for rehabilitation, able to work, in active or passive modes, on upper and lower, left and rights limbs. This robot has an hybrid serial parallel structure, mechanically self-balanced thanks to the particular joints configuration. Performing a simple manual operation it’s possible to change configuration of the robot, depending on the patient side on which the operator would act. The system is controlled by a multiprocessor distributed control system connected via CAN bus protocol. The control unit will also able to detect the force interactions between patient and manipulator, so that the system might behave as a 3D haptic system. Patents have been applied on this device [3–5].