Developing Conceptual PSS Models of Upper Limb Exoskeleton based Post-stroke Rehabilitation in China

Abstract

Nowadays, more than ten million people in China suffer from the effects of stroke, and there are two million new occurrences every year. One of the most serious symptoms of stroke is hemiparesis that leads to losing the motor function of upper limb in activities of daily living (ADL). Face with the conflicts between the growing demands and limited medical resource, especially the therapists, for rehabilitation, Chinese government is now actively encouraging the R&D as well as the popularization and application of rehabilitation robots. This paper is focused on applying PSS concepts to exoskeleton-based post stroke rehabilitation in China for maximization of its medical utility and exploiting new value creation opportunities. Three representative application scenarios of rehabilitative exoskeleton are developed based on the three-tier rehabilitation network in China and the multi-view modeling method is used to conceptualize PSS models for each scenario. The analysis suggested that product-oriented PSS for exoskeleton-based acute phase rehabilitation at tertiary hospitals, while use- or result-oriented PSS be a promising option for midway and full recovery phase rehabilitation in middle or base level health care facilities. The close-loop life cycle oriented service plans are developed by coupling PSS offering with the collection of retired devices, device or component reuse and remanufacturing by manufacturers, which are proposed for potential technological (i.e. intellectual property protection), economic (i.e. cost reduction) and environmental benefits (i.e. saving material and energy for manufacturing new parts).