A self-controlled robot for upper limb rehabilitation

Abstract

The number of hemiplegic patients with a unilateral-disabled limb has been increasing globally, this stimulate the development of rehabilitation robots that assist patients in motor function recovery and strength enhancement. However, as yet, few robots have achieved self-controlled rehabilitation training, and force feedback is generally realized with force sensors. This paper introduces a self-controlled master-slave system implementing force sensing without any force sensor for training patients with limited upper extremity function. The system contains two identical motors that have a directly wired connection. One limb controls the master motor to generate electrical energy, which is recycled to power the slave motor. The slave motor in turn works in electromotive state and supports the other limb to mirror the movement of the contralateral limb. Thus, self-controlled rehabilitation training is realized. An experimental prototype has been developed and the test results confirm that the system can achieve force sensing without a force sensor and realize motion tracking with a kind of energy recycling. Overall, the system has great potential for self-controlled rehabilitation training in the home environment.