This paper presents a novel 7 (active) +2 (passive) degrees of freedom (DOF) exoskeleton to achieve effective rehabilitation of upper limbs with neurological impairment. The 7+2 DOF robot was designed for allowing anatomically correct motions in the upper extremity, and for measuring 18 axis forces/torques and 9 DOF positions. A novel four-step integrated rehabilitation approach was developed and tested including (1) accurate and quantitative diagnosis which is not practical to do during manual clinical examinations or with existing robotic devices; (2) strenuous stretching of spastic joints based on the diagnosis and with intelligent control to adjust the stretching velocity constantly according to the joint conditions; (3) voluntary movement exercise to perform realistic functional tasks based on the patient-specific diagnosis, and (4) outcome evaluations which assessed the treatment outcome quantitatively with multiple physiological measures.

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This paper discusses the current status of the research and development on robotic exoskeletons for both commercial and military applications in Japan and the US. Designed to help elderly and disabled people walk, climb stairs, and carry things around, the Japanese exoskeleton, called HAL-5, is set to hit the market in November 2005. Meanwhile, in the US, the most advanced exoskeleton projects are currently underway at the University of California and at Sacros Research Corp. Both groups are working on a second-generation exoskeleton that is a huge improvement over its predecessor. These projects appear to be the first of a platoon of considerably more capable exoskeletons aimed at real-world uses that may soon become part of the mainstream. While most of these systems are designed for the physically weak or disabled people, researchers are quick to mention other commercial possibilities including their use for rescue and emergency operations, moving furniture and other heavy objects, and even construction work.

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While a large number of robotic exoskeletons have been designed by research teams for rehabilitation, it remains rather difficult to analyse their ability to finely interact with a human limb: no performance indicators or general methodology to characterize this capacity really exist. This is particularly regretful at a time when robotics are becoming a recognized rehabilitation method and when complex problems such as 3-D movement rehabilitation and joint rotation coordination are being addressed. The aim of this paper is to propose a general methodology to evaluate, through a reduced set of simple indicators, the ability of an exoskeleton to interact finely and in a controlled way with a human. The method involves measurement and recording of positions and forces during 3-D point to point tasks. It is applied to a 4 degrees-of-freedom limb exoskeleton by way of example.

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Safety is a critical issue for upper arm exoskeletons intended for human use. Joint forces and moments experienced by a human user during motion must be minimized to ensure safety. Trajectory planning and control of cable-driven exoskeletons is challenging due to the unique property that cables can transmit forces only in tension. This paper introduces the design of a 4-DOF cable-driven upper arm exoskeleton and schemes for trajectory planning and control. Simulations show that in most cases a feasible point-to-point trajectory can be generated while minimizing reaction joint forces and moments.

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Research in robotic gait rehabilitation still faces many challenges regarding ankle assistance, body weight support and human-robot interaction. This paper reports on the development, focusing on these challenges, of a gait rehabilitation exoskeleton powered by pleated pneumatic artificial muscles. The first prototype is intended as a platform for the evaluation of design and control concepts. The mechanical design procedure is explained with the emphasis on optimization. A proxy-based sliding mode control approach is proposed and evaluated by means of simulation. Simulation results indicate good tracking performance and safe system behavior, encouraging experimental validation on the prototype.

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