A Robot-Assisted Framework for Rehabilitation Practices: Implementation and Experimental Results

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 23; no. 17; p. 7652
• Main Authors: Chiriatti, Giorgia, Carbonari, Luca, Ceravolo, Maria Gabriella, Andrenelli, Elisa, Millevolte, Marzia, Palmieri, Giacomo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Caregivers; Collaboration; collaborative robotics; Flexibility; human–robot interaction; interaction perception; Patient safety; Rehabilitation; Robots; Stroke
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s23177652

One of the most interesting characteristics of collaborative robots is their ability to be used in close cooperation scenarios. In industry, this facilitates the implementation of human-in-loop workflows. However, this feature can also be exploited in different fields, such as healthcare. In this paper, a rehabilitation framework for the upper limbs of neurological patients is presented, consisting of a collaborative robot that helps users perform three-dimensional trajectories. Such a practice is aimed at improving the coordination of patients by guiding their motions in a preferred direction. We present the mechatronic setup, along with a preliminary experimental set of results from 19 volunteers (patients and control subjects) who provided positive feedback on the training experience (52% of the subjects would return and 44% enjoyed performing the exercise). Patients were able to execute the exercise, with a maximum deviation from the trajectory of 16 mm. The muscular effort required was limited, with average maximum forces recorded at around 50 N.