Intelligent Control for Robotic Rehabilitation after Stroke

Abstract

The paper presents a new control approach to robot-assisted rehabilitation for stroke patients. The control architecture is represented in terms of a hybrid system model combining a high-level and a low-level assistive controller. The high-level controller is designed to monitor the progress and safety of the rehabilitation task. The high-level controller also makes decisions on the modification of the task that might be needed for the therapy. A design of a low-level assistive controller that provides robotic assistance for an upper arm rehabilitation task and works in coordination with the proposed high-level controller is discussed. Experimental results on unimpaired participants are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of both the high-level and low-level assistive controllers.