To assist stroke patients with rehabilitation training, an upper limb rehabilitation robot with an exoskeleton structure and three degrees of freedom (DOF) was developed in this paper. Under the guidance of the theory of rehabilitation medicine, the mechanical design of the robot was completed. Then, the kinematics equations were established by means of homogeneous transformation, including the forward kinematics and the inverse kinematics. The kinematical analysis was carried out and the algebraic solution of inverse kinematics was derived, which provided a theoretical basis for realizing the intelligent control. To validate the performance, the kinematical simulation was conducted, and the simulation results showed that the design of the exoskeleton robot was feasible.

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Though passive gravity-force compensation or weight balancing technology has existed for centuries, novel system designs and new applications have been emerging in the past two decades. This survey paper reviews the recent patents and technical publications related to these new developments and applications. The paper first gives an overview of widely used passive gravity-force compensation techniques. It then presents the applications of these techniques in different areas with focus on the recent patents and publications. Finally, the likely trends of future development in this particular area are discussed.

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A brain–computer interface (BCI) provides a non-muscular communication channel to people with and without disabilities. BCI devices consist of hardware and software. BCI hardware records signals from the brain, either invasively or non-invasively, using a series of device components. BCI software then translates these signals into device output commands and provides feedback. One may categorize different types of BCI applications into the following four categories: basic research, clinical/translational research, consumer products, and emerging applications. These four categories use BCI hardware and software, but have different sets of requirements. For example, while basic research needs to explore a wide range of system configurations, and thus requires a wide range of hardware and software capabilities, applications in the other three categories may be designed for relatively narrow purposes and thus may only need a very limited subset of capabilities. This paper summarizes technical aspects for each of these four categories of BCI applications. The results indicate that BCI technology is in transition from isolated demonstrations to systematic research and commercial development. This process requires several multidisciplinary efforts, including the development of better integrated and more robust BCI hardware and software, the definition of standardized interfaces, and the development of certification, dissemination and reimbursement procedures.

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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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In order to realize haptic interaction (e.g., holding, pushing, and contacting the object) in virtual environment and mediated haptic communication with human beings (e.g., handshaking), the force feedback is required. Recently there has been a substantial need and interest in haptic displays, which can provide realistic and high fidelity physical interaction in virtual environment. The aim of our research is to implement wearable haptic displays for presentation of realistic feedback (kinesthetic stimulus) to the human arm. We developed wearable devices FlexTorque and FlexTensor that induce forces to the human arm and do not require holding any additional haptic interfaces in the human hand. It is a new technology for Virtual Reality that allows user to explore surroundings freely. The concept of Karate (empty hand) Haptics proposed by us is opposite to conventional interfaces (e.g., Wii Remote, SensAble’s PHANTOM, SPIDAR [1]) that require holding haptic interface in the hand, restricting thus the motion of the fingers in midair. The HapticEye interface allows the blind person to explore the unknown environment in a natural and effective manner. The wearer can literally see the environment by hand.

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