Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:23:28.026Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A novel robotic knee device with stance control and its kinematic weight optimization for rehabilitation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Sanghun Pyo ,
Junwon Yoon  and
Min-Kyun Oh
Sanghun Pyo
Affiliation:
Intelligent Robots and Systems Lab, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and ReCAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
Junwon Yoon*
Affiliation:
Intelligent Robots and Systems Lab, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and ReCAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
Min-Kyun Oh
Affiliation:
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, South Korea
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: jwyoon@gnu.ac.kr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

It is important to develop a robotic orthosis or exoskeleton that can provide back-drivable and good assistive performances with lightweight structures for overground gait rehabilitation of stroke patients. In this paper, we describe a robotic knee device with a five-bar linkage to allow low-impedance voluntary knee motion within a specified rotation range during the swing phase, and to assist knee extension during the stance phase. The device can provide free motion through the five-bar linkage with 2-degree-of-freedom (DOF) actuation via the patient's shank using a linear actuator, and can assist knee extension at any controlled knee angle while bearing weight via a geared five-bar linkage with 1 DOF actuation of the linear actuator. The kinematic transition between the two modes can be implemented by contact with a circular structure and a linear link, and the resultant range of motion can be determined by the linear actuator. The kinematic weight of the device was optimized using the simple genetic algorithm to reduce the mass. The optimization cost function was based on the sum of the total link lengths and the actuator power. The optimization results reduced the total link length and motor power by 47% and 43%, respectively, compared to the initial design. We expect that the device will facilitate rehabilitation of stroke patients by allowing safe and free overground walking while providing support for stumbling.

Keywords

ExoskeletonsHuman biomechanicsDesignMan-machine systemsNovel applications of robotics
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 32 , Issue 8: Rehabilitation Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction , December 2014 , pp. 1245 - 1263
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Prange, G. B., Jannink, M. J., Groothuis-Oudshoorn, G. G., Hermens, H. J., Ijzerman, M. J., “Systematic review of the effect of robot-aided therapy on recovery of the hemiparetic arm after stroke,” J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 43 (2), 171–184 (2006).Google Scholar
2.Dong-Yu, G., “Acute phase of stroke rehabilitation,” The Annual Fall Meeting of the Korean Stroke Society 10, 39–40 (2005).Google Scholar
3.Yoon, J., Novandy, B., Yoon, C. and Park, K., “A 6-DOF gait rehabilitation robot with upper and lower-limb connections that allows walking velocity updates on various terrains,” IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatronics 15 (2), 201–215 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Nene, A. V., Hermens, H. J. and Zilvold, G., “Paraplegic locomotion: A review,” Spinal Cord 34 (9), 507–524 (1996).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Available at http://www.fillauer.com/pdf/M009-RGO.pdf [Accessed 29th May 2014].Google Scholar
6.Kobetic, R., To, C. S., Schnellenberger, J. R., Audu, M. L. and Bulea, T. C., “Development of hybrid orthosis for standing, walking, and stair climbing after spinal cord injury,” J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 46 (3), 447–462 (2009).Google Scholar
7.Zarrugh, M. Y. and Radcliffe, C. W., “Simulation of swing phase dynamics in above-knee prostheses,” J. Biomech. 9 (5), 283–292 (1976).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Jin, D., Zhang, R., Dimo, H. O., Wang, R. and Zhang, J., “Kinematic and dynamic performance of prosthetic knee joint using six-bar mechanism,” J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 40 (1), 39–48 (2003).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Pratt, J. E., Krupp, B. T., Morse, C. J. and Collins, S. H., “The RoboKnee: An Exoskeleton for Enhancing Strength and Endurance During Walking”, Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, New Orleans, LA, USA (Apr. 26–May 01, 2004) pp. 2430–2435.Google Scholar
10.Colombo, G., Joerg, M., Schreier, R. and Dietz, V., “Treadmill training of paraplegic patients using a robotic orthosis,” J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 37 (6), 693–700 (2000).Google Scholar
11.Mefoued, S., Mohammed, S. and Amirat, Y., “Knee Joint Movement Assistance Through Robust Control of an Actuated Orthosis,” 2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, September 25–30, San Francisco, CA, USA (2011).Google Scholar
12.Nikitczuk, J., Weinberg, B., Canavan, P. K. and Mavroidis, C., “Active knee rehabilitation orthotic device with variable damping characteristics implemented via an electrorheological fluid,” IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatronics 15 (6), 952–960 (2010).Google Scholar
13.Belforte, G., Gastaldi, L. and Sorli, M., “Pneumatic active gait orthosis,” Mechatronics 11, 301–323 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Veneman, J. F., Ekkelenkamp, R., Kruidhof, R., van der Helm, F. C. T. and van der Kooij, H., “A series elastic- and Bowden-cable-based, actuation system for use as torque actuator, in exoskeleton-type robots,” Int. J. Robot. Res. 25 (3), 261–281 (Mar. 2006).Google Scholar
15.Ackermann, M. and Cozman, F. G., “Automatic knee flexion in lower limb orthoses,” ABCM 31 (4), 305–311 (2009).Google Scholar
16.Sulzer, J. S., Roiz, R. A., Peshkin, M. A. and Patton, J. L., “A highly backdrivable, lightweight knee actuator for investigating gait in stroke,” IEEE Trans. Robot. 25 (3)539–548 (Jun. 2009).Google Scholar
17.Duncan, P. W., Sullivan, K. J., Behrman, A. L., Azen, S. P., Wu, S. S., Nadeau, S. E., Dobkin, B. H., Rose, D. K., Tilson, J. K., Cen, S., Hayden, S. K., “Body-weight–supported treadmill rehabilitation after stroke,” New England J. Med. 364 (21), 2026–2036 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Hornby, T. G., Campbell, D. D., Kahn, J. H., Demott, T., Moore, J. L. and Roth, H. R., “Enhanced gait-related improvements after therapist- versus robotic-assisted locomotor training in subjects with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled study,” Stroke 39 (6), 1786–1792 (2008).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Yakimovich, T., Lemaire, E. D. and Kofman, J., “Engineering design review of stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthoses,” J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 46 (2), 257–268 (2009).Google Scholar
20.Gage, J. R., Deluca, P. A. and Renshaw, T. S., “Gait analysis: principles and applications,” J. Bone Joint Surg. 77–A (10), 1607–1623 (Oct. 1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.De Quervain, I. A., Simon, S. R., Leurgans, S., Pease, W. S. and McAllister, D., “Gait pattern in the early recovery period after stroke,” J. Bone Joint Surg. 78 (10), 1506–1514 (1996).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Holland, J. H., Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems (The University of Michigan Press, Michigan, 1975).Google Scholar
23.Hwang, Y., Christiand, J. Yoon and Ryu, J., “The Optimum Design of a 6-DOF Parallel Manipulator with Large Orientation Workspace,” Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2007), Rome, Italy (Apr. 10–14, 2007), pp. 163–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24. Christiand and Yoon, J., “A Novel Optimal Assembly Algorithm for the Haptic Interface Application of a Virtual Maintenance System,” Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2008), Pasadena, USA (May 19–23, 2008), pp. 3612–3617.Google Scholar
25.Hassan, S. and Yoon, J., “Virtual Maintenance System with a Two-Staged Ant colony Optimization Algorithm”, Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2011), Shanghai International Conference Center, Shanghai, China (May 9–13, 2011), pp. 931–936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26.Winter, D. A., The Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Gait: Normal, Elderly, and Pathological (University of Waterloo Press, Waterloo, Canada, 1991).Google Scholar
27.Arsenault, M. and Boudreau, R., “The synthesis of three-degree-of-freedom planar parallel mechanisms with revolute joints (3-RRR) for an optimal singularity-free workspace,” J. Robot. Syst. 21 (5), 259–274 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28.Tsai, K. Y. and Huang, K. D., “The design of isotropic 6-DOF parallel manipulators using isotropy generators,” Mech. Mach. Theory 38, 1199–1214 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29.Volpe, B. T., Krebs, H. I., Hogan, N., Edelstein, L., Diels, C. and Aisen, M., “A novel approach to stroke rehabilitation: Robot-aided sensorimotor stimulation,” Neurology 54 (10), 1983–1944 (2000).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30.Volpe, B. T., Krebs, H. I. and Hogan, N., “Is robot-aided sensorimotor training in stroke rehabilitation a realistic option?,” Curr. Option Neurology 14, 745–752 (2001).Google Scholar
31.Fluet, G. G. and Deutsch, J. E., “Virtual reality for sensorimotor rehabilitation post-stroke: The promise and current state of the field,” Curr. Phys. Med. Rehabil. Rep. 1, 9–20 (2013).Google Scholar
32.Johansson, B. B., “Brain plasticity and stroke rehabilitation: The will is lecture,” Stroke 31, 223–230 (2000).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33.Nancyl, B., Jennifer, R., Olfat, M., Monica, H., Josh, K., Amy, S., Molly, T. and Gary, A., “Effectiveness of sensory and motor rehabilitation of the upper limb following the principles of neuroplasticity: Patients stable poststroke,” Neurorehabilitation Neural. 17, 176–191 (2003).Google Scholar