Robotic Orthosis for Upper Limb Rehabilitation

Abstract

Individuals with impaired upper limbs have motor limitations that interfere with functionality. An alternative to rehabilitation is robot-assisted therapy, a method that increases the effectiveness of treatment. New robotic actuators have been developed to assist in the rehabilitation of the upper limb. One of them aims to actively perform finger extension and flexion passively, using a servo motor coupled to a rope system. At the elbow, a direct current (DC) motor combined with a gearbox was coupled to a system of pulleys and ropes designed to actively perform flexion and extension movements. To activate the system, an Arduino-NANO® and a mobile application for Android were used. The performance of the prototype was evaluated in four post-stroke volunteers. The ability to perform the proposed movements with the device was observed. Structural reinforcement was necessary, after twisting the elbow support structure, with pronation of the forearm, resulting in increased component weight. This work presented new robotic devices that can assist in the rehabilitation of post-stroke individuals.