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In this paper, a redundantly actuated chewing robot with two higher kinematic pairs (HKPs) is presented, which can be used in performance test and evaluation of denture material. The robot has six actuators, but only has four degrees of freedom, due to constraints of two HKPs which mimic two temporomandibular joints (TMJs) of human. Quasi-static force analysis in occlusion status is performed to calculate...
This paper focuses on the control system design for a wearable power assist device which provides force/torque support for people who are doing physically demanding tasks. The device is actuated by the McKibben artificial muscle. The McKibben actuator is know to exhibit high nonlinearity between the supply pressure and the contractile length, and it is basically difficult to design a high performance...
This study present an intervention combining an electroencephalography-based brain computer interface with a hybrid robotic system for the modulation of the cortical excitability (plasticity). Plasticity is intended to be elicited through the association of the voluntary motor-related cortical processes with the hybrid assistance during the execution of reaching movement. The cortical excitability...
In the perception-assist, user's dangerous motion is changed to safety motion when there is a possibility of accident such as the collision between user's body parts and obstacles. On the other hand, the joint motion of a human can be changed by using vibration stimulation on the tendon of muscle. By using this motion change method, there is a possibility that perception-assist by using vibration...
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common children and adults movement disorder that is associated with life-long disability and multiple impairments. Children with CP demonstrate poor fine and gross motor function due to psychomotor disturbances. Early rehabilitation programs are essential for children with CP and should be appropriate for the age and functional condition of the patients. Robot-assisted...
This paper describes the mechanical design of a prototype of a 4 degree of freedom upper limb exoskeleton suit. A cable driven system actuated by an array of pneumatic muscles, located at the back of the suit, was implemented in the prototype. The developed design aims to enhance human upper body strength for applications ranging from the rehabilitation of stroke patients to enabling workers and soldiers...
In order to enhance the efficacy of the prosthetic and orthotic robotic devices controlled by surface electromyography (sEMG) signals, muscle activity detection algorithms need to be independent of the amplitude variation in the sEMG signal to make these devices more feasible and reliable for the disabled people. A new algorithm has been developed to detect the presence of muscle activities in weak...
Pneumatic Artificial Muscles are under investigation for many years. Most of them are units of large dimensions, impossible to use in medical robotics. However, low emittance of heat of working medium is one of the most important advantages of this drive and crucial in medical robotics. Problem of combination of advantages of this drive and preferable for medical use size found solution at Lodz University...
In this study, the trajectory tracking control problem of a 2 degrees of freedom robotic orthosis for the lower limb rehabilitation is discussed. The robotic orthosis is actuated by a pair of self-made pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) in an antagonistic configuration. A second order plus dead time (SOPDT) linear model is chosen for describing the antagonistic actuator behavior. In order to enhance...
This research paper explores the possibility of using Electromyogram (EMG) signals for classifying point to point upper limb movements during dynamic muscle contraction in the context of human-robot interactions. Previous studies have mostly focused on classifiers for gesture recognition using steady state EMG. Only few studies have used non-steady-state EMG classifier when gross upper arm muscles...
In this work we propose a novel method based on sEMG signals, easy and fast to perform, administered with a robotic device to maximize repeatability and objectivity. Muscle fatigue, which is frequently experienced by healthy subjects, can be a highly debilitating symptom in case of neuromuscular disorders. Its assessment provides crucial information on the progression of the disability itself, on...
In this work, a surface skin electromyography(sEMG)-based control solution for elbow wearable assistive devices during load lifting tasks is presented. The goal of the controller consists in limiting the user's muscle activity during the task execution, in such a way that the assistive device can partially compensate the load-related biceps muscle effort. Since sEMG-driven control strategies based...
The combined use of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and robotic technologies is advocated to improve rehabilitation outcomes after stroke. This work describes an arm rehabilitation system developed within the European project RETRAINER. The system consists of a passive 4-degrees-of-freedom exoskeleton equipped with springs to provide gravity compensation and electromagnetic brakes to hold...
Two common rehabilitation therapies for individuals possessing neurological conditions are functional electrical stimulation (FES) and robotic assistance. This paper focuses on combining the two rehabilitation strategies for use on the biceps brachii muscle group. FES is used to elicit muscle contractions to actuate the forearm and a rehabilitation robot is used to challenge the muscle group in its...
In this paper we introduce a robust multi-channel wearable sensor system for capturing user intent to control robotic hands. The interface is based on a fusion of inertial measurement and mechanomyography (MMG), which measures the vibrations of muscle fibres during motion. MMG is immune to issues such as sweat, skin impedance, and the need for a reference signal that is common to electromyography...
This paper presents the design and control of a biomimetic knee joint for biped robots. The robotic knee joint driven by pneumatic artificial muscles is designed by imitating the structure of the human knee. It has desirable characteristics similar with human knee joint including joint compliance, changeable instantaneous center of rotation, as well as large range of joint motion. In order to model...
The ability of robotic rehabilitation devices to support paralysed end-users is ultimately limited by the degree to which human-machine-interaction is designed to be effective and efficient in translating user intention into robotic action. Specifically, we evaluate the novel possibility of binocular eye-tracking technology to detect voluntary winks from involuntary blink commands, to establish winks...
Wearable robots can potentially offer their users enhanced stability and strength. These augmentations are ideally designed to actuate harmoniously with the user's movements and provide extra force as needed. The creation of such robots, however, is particularly challenging due to the underlying complexity of the human body. In this paper, we present a compliant, robotic exosuit for upper extremities...
In recent years, ventilation equipment has been installed in various structures to draw in outdoor air and circulate indoor air. These ventilation installations have pipes (ducts) through which air flows. If dust accumulates in a duct, it will be carried indoors by the airflow. Dust adversely affects human health, and so these ducts must be cleaned regularly. However, the existing cleaning methods...
An arm amputation is extremely invalidating since many of our daily tasks require bi-manual and precise control of hand movements. Perfect hand prostheses should therefore offer a natural, intuitive and cognitively simple control over their numerous biomimetic active degrees of freedom. While efficient polydigital prostheses are commercially available, their control remains complex to master and offers...
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