Mikołajczyk Tadeusz, Kłodowski Adam, Mikołajewska Emilia, Walkowiak Paweł, Berjano Pedro, Villafañe Jorge Hugo, Aggogeri Francesco, Borboni Alberto, Fausti Davide, Petrogalli Gianluigi
Department of Production Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Laboratory of Machine Design, School of Energy Systems, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland.
Adv Clin Exp Med. 2018 Dec;27(12):1661-1669. doi: 10.17219/acem/74556.
The use of an exoskeleton elbow is considered an effective treatment in several pathologies, including post-stroke complications, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. The effectiveness of rehabilitation is closely linked to a suitably chosen therapy. The treatment can be performed only by specialized personnel, significantly supported by the use of automated devices.
The aim of this study was to present a novel exoskeleton for elbow rehabilitation without a complicated control system.
Single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) solution in constructing the prototype of an elbow exoskeleton for rehabilitation purposes has been applied. The simplicity of the actuation mechanism was set as one of the priorities in the design; thus, a single-axis stepper motor with a controller was found to be adequate for providing a reliable and precise source of motion for the exoskeleton.
Technological development may provide novel solutions, such as an exoskeleton - a wearable, external structure which supports or (in selected applications) even replaces the muscle actuation in the patient. The reported advantages of the proposed exoskeleton reflect current state-of-the-art. The proposed control strategy relies on closed-loop position control, performance, low manufacturing cost, and predicted performance in a rehabilitation scenario. All these factors play an important role in establishing the directions for further research, e.g., an integrated force sensor in the device, measurements of torque interactions on the elbow joint, and assessment and response to an overload of articulation.
This study suggests not only the clinical but also the possible economic and logistical advantages offered by the portability of the system, and its effective support for therapists applying an elbow exoskeleton.
使用外骨骼肘部装置被认为是治疗多种病症的有效方法，这些病症包括中风后并发症、创伤性脑损伤（TBI）和脊髓损伤（SCI），以及神经退行性疾病患者。康复效果与适当选择的治疗方法密切相关。该治疗只能由专业人员进行，并在自动化设备的大力支持下开展。
本研究的目的是提出一种无需复杂控制系统的新型肘部康复外骨骼。
在构建用于康复目的的肘部外骨骼原型时采用了单自由度（SDOF）解决方案。在设计中，将驱动机制的简单性作为首要任务之一；因此，发现带有控制器的单轴步进电机足以向外骨骼提供可靠且精确的运动源。
技术发展可能会提供新的解决方案，例如外骨骼——一种可穿戴的外部结构，它可以支撑甚至（在某些应用中）替代患者的肌肉驱动。所提出的外骨骼的优点反映了当前的技术水平。所提出的控制策略依赖于闭环位置控制、性能、低制造成本以及在康复场景中的预期性能。所有这些因素在确定进一步研究方向方面都起着重要作用，例如在设备中集成力传感器、测量肘关节上的扭矩相互作用以及评估和应对关节过载。
本研究不仅表明了该系统便携性所带来的临床优势，还表明了其在经济和后勤方面可能具有的优势，以及它对应用肘部外骨骼的治疗师的有效支持。
