Filius Suzanne J, van der Burgh Bas J, Harlaar Jaap
Department of BioMechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2024 Sep 24;9(10):579. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics9100579.
Motorised arm supports for individuals with severe arm muscle weakness require precise compensation for arm weight and elevated passive joint impedance (e.g., joint stiffness as a result of muscle atrophy and fibrosis). Estimating these parameters in vivo, along with the arm's centre of mass, is challenging, and human evaluations of assistance can be subjective. To address this, a dummy arm was designed to replicate the human arm's anthropometrics, degrees of freedom, adjustable segment masses, and passive elbow joint impedance (eJimp). This study presents the design, anthropometrics, and verification of the dummy arm. It successfully mimics the human arm's range of motion, mass, and centre of mass. The dummy arm also demonstrates the ability to replicate various eJimp torque-angle profiles. Additionally, it allows for the tuning of the segment masses, centres of mass, and eJimp to match a representative desired target population. This simple, cost-effective tool has proven valuable for the development and verification of the Duchenne ARm ORthosis (DAROR), a motorised arm support, or 'exoskeleton'. This study includes recommendations for practical applications and provides insights into optimising design specifications based on the final design. It supplements the CAD design, enhancing the dummy arm's application for future arm-assistive devices.
对于患有严重手臂肌肉无力的个体，电动手臂支撑装置需要精确补偿手臂重量并提高被动关节阻抗（例如，由于肌肉萎缩和纤维化导致的关节僵硬）。在活体中估计这些参数以及手臂的质心具有挑战性，并且对辅助效果的人体评估可能具有主观性。为了解决这个问题，设计了一种假人手臂来复制人体手臂的人体测量学、自由度、可调节的节段质量和被动肘关节阻抗（eJimp）。本研究介绍了假人手臂的设计、人体测量学和验证。它成功地模拟了人体手臂的运动范围、质量和质心。假人手臂还展示了复制各种eJimp扭矩-角度曲线的能力。此外，它允许调整节段质量、质心和eJimp，以匹配具有代表性的目标人群。这个简单且经济高效的工具已被证明对杜氏臂矫形器（DAROR）（一种电动手臂支撑装置或“外骨骼”）的开发和验证具有重要价值。本研究包括实际应用的建议，并提供了基于最终设计优化设计规格的见解。它补充了CAD设计，增强了假人手臂在未来手臂辅助设备中的应用。
