A walker by a mobility impaired disabled user while moving through a set of movements correlating to a walking motion. The walker comprises an exoskeleton, a power source in the form of a battery pack or other similar onboard power pack together with its associated power supply cables, and a control system. The exoskeleton comprises a rigid pelvic support member including a pelvic harness and a pair of leg structures. Each of the leg structures comprise an upper leg structural member, alower leg structural member, a foot member, a main hip actuator, a knee actuator and a main foot actuator.

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We propose a novel method for movement assistance that is based on adaptive oscillators, i.e., mathematical tools that are capable of extracting the high-level features (amplitude, frequency, and offset) of a periodic signal. Such an oscillator acts like a filter on these features, but keeps its output in phase with respect to the input signal. Using a simple inverse model, we predicted the torque produced by human participants during rhythmic flexion extension of the elbow. Feeding back a fraction of this estimated torque to the participant through an elbow exoskeleton, we were able to prove the assistance efficiency through a marked decrease of the biceps and triceps electromyography. Importantly, since the oscillator adapted to the movement imposed by the user, the method flexibly allowed us to change the movement pattern and was still efficient during the nonstationary epochs. This method holds promise for the development of new robot-assisted rehabilitation protocols because it does not require prespecifying a reference trajectory and does not require complex signal sensing or single-user calibration: the only signal that is measured is the position of the augmented joint. In this paper, we further demonstrate that this assistance was very intuitive for the participants who adapted almost instantaneously.

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Как известно, экзоскелетоны придумали люди для того, чтобы увеличить свои физические способности. Но сегодня экзоскелетоны являются машиной в большей степени, чем это необходимо. Ведь человек, надев одно из этих хитроумных и дорогостоящих устройств, которые, в сущности, являются «полу-телами», зачастую не использует все его возможности.

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Категория: x-Ar | 24 комментария »

In this study, we develop a prototype of arm wrestling robot system called AssistRobot for human upper extremity wear. Further, we introduce a force display response model based on the impact absorption of human hand, proposed earlier by the authors, into the system. The effectiveness of the system for arm wrestling is demonstrated by sensory evaluation from viewpoints of operability and enjoyment.

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This study examines the feasibility of using electroencephalograms (EEGs) to rapidly detect the intent to open one’s hand in individuals with complete hand paralysis following a subcortical ischemic stroke. If detectable, this motor planning activity could be used in real time to trigger a motorized hand exoskeleton or an electrical stimulation device that opens/closes the hand. While EEG-triggered movement-assist devices could restore function, they may also promote recovery by reinfor-cing the use of remaining cortical circuits. EEGs were recorded while participants were cued to either relax or attempt to extend their fingers. Linear discriminant analysis was used to detect onset of finger extension from the EEGs in a leave-onetrial-out cross-validation process. In each testing trial, the classifier was applied in pseudo real time starting from an initial hand-relaxed phase, through movement planning, and into the initial attempted finger extension phase (finger extension phase estimated from typical time-to-movement-onset measured in the unaffected hand). The classifiers detected attempted finger-extension at a significantly higher rate during both motor planning and early attempted execution compared to rest.

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