A NOVEL MULTI-DOF EXOSKELETON ROBOT FOR UPPER LIMB REHABILITATION

摘要

Patients who suffer from stroke have motion function disorders. They need rehabilitation training guided by doctors and trainers. Nowadays, robots have been introduced to help the patients regain their motion function in rehabilitation training. In this paper, a novel multi degree of freedom (DOF) exoskeleton robot, with light weight, including (6[Formula: see text]1) DOFs, named as Rehab-Arm, is proposed and developed for upper limb rehabilitation. The joints of the robot are equipped with micro motors which are capable of actuating each DOF respectively and simultaneously. The medial/lateral rotation of shoulder is realized by a semi-circle guide mechanism for convenience consideration and safety. The robot is used in sitting posture which is attached to a custom made chair. Hence, the robot can be used to assist patients in passive movement with 7 DOFs of the upper limb for rehabilitation. Five adult healthy male subjects participated in the experiment to test the joint movement accuracy of the robot. Finally, subjects can wear Rehab-Arm and move their upper limb, led by micro motors of the robot, to perform task assigned with specific trajectory.