Британская компания Innos разработала микромеханическое устройство, которое утилизирует вибрацию прибора для производства электроэнергии.

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The paper presents a 2-d.o.f. wearable exoskeleton system designed for forearm motion assist in daily activity and rehabilitation. The proposed exoskeleton system is supposed to be directly attached to the lateral side of a patient’s upper limb, and assist the forearm motion (elbow flexion–extension motion and forearm supination–pronation motion) of the patient for daily activity and rehabilitation. The proposed exoskeleton is controlled based on the activation patterns of the electro-myogram signals of the patient’s muscles, which directly reflect the motion intention of the patient, in order to realize natural automatic motion assist. A sophisticated real-time neuro-fuzzy control method, in which the effect of a muscle common to both motions is taken into account, is proposed. The proposed control method enables cooperative motion of the elbow and forearm of the patient by learning the muscle activation patterns of each patient. The effectiveness of the proposed exoskeleton system is evaluated by experiment.

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An apparatus for assisting in body movement includes a framework which is connectable with a human body and an elastic force transmission system connected with the framework. The elastic force transmission system stores energy during a first portion of movement of the human body and releases the stored energy during a second portion of the movement of the human body. The elastic force transmission system includes an elongated force transmission component which is resiliently extendable under the influence of force transmitted through the framework. Although the apparatus can be used in association with any desired portion of the human body, it may be particularly advantageous to use the apparatus in association with one or both legs of the human body.

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The goal of this project is to develop a means for individuals with stroke to practice arm movement therapy at home with remote monitoring. We previously developed a Web-based system for repetitive movement training (Java Therapy). This paper describes a new input device for the system that measures and assists in naturalistic arm movement, as well as software enhancements. The new input device is an instrumented, adult-sized version of Wilmington robotic exoskeleton (WREX), which is a five degrees-of-freedom orthosis that counterbalances the weight of the arm using elastic bands. To test the ability of the new device (Training-WREX or «T-WREX») to measure and assist in functional arm movements, we measured five chronic stroke subjects’ movement ability while wearing the orthosis without gravity balance compared to wearing the orthosis with gravity balance. T-WREX’s gravity balance function improved a clinical measure of arm movement (Fugl-Meyer Score), range of motion of reaching movements, and accuracy of drawing movements. Coupled with an enhanced version of Java Therapy, T-WREX will thus provide a means to assist functional arm movement training at home, either over the Web in real-time, or stand-alone with periodic communication with a remote site.

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Loss of function after SCI, ABI or stroke has a marked affect on ones quality of life. Return of function has been a long-standing goal of physical and occupational therapy. Repeated motor practice has been identified as crucial for motor recovery. The development of a robotic device for neuromotor rehabilitation and upper extremity neuromuscular system recovery is described. The actuator mechanism allows free motion when possible, and provides programmable therapeutic levels of resistance. The sensor system allows characterization of the applied forces, and accurate measurement of the range of motion of the joint. The control system provides real time feedback of actuator commands based on sensor data, calibration routines, and operational modes.

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