Design of a hybrid adaptive support device for FES upper limb stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

A novel design of a low cost non-powered orthosis device for home-based upper limb stroke rehabilitation is proposed. The design allows the device to be integrated with a dual robotic and electrical stimulation control scheme. This enables exploitation of the motor relearning principles which underpin both robotic therapy and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) based stroke rehabilitation. This work focuses on the mechanical design of the non-powered orthosis, based on gravity balancing theory and provides preliminary dynamic simulations of the 3D CAD model.