Guided physical therapy through the use of the Barrett WAM robotic arm

Abstract

Physical therapy is a crucial part of the rehabilitation process during recovery from an injury that has resulted in motor function loss. Newly introduced technologies can enhance traditional physical therapy, first, by complementing the expert's work, and second, by providing a platform for rich data collection and analysis. In this work, we present a prototype adaptive rehabilitation instrument, based on the use of robotic arm, which can be dynamically controlled to guide the exercise motion of the upper extremities, in patients with motor disabilities. Our proposed method, enables simultaneous active and passive control of the robotic arm, to produce adaptive force feedback for motion guidance, and allow for data collection, for patient motor function assessment.