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Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation

The provision of continuous passive, and intent-based assisted movements for neuromuscular training can be incorporated into a robotic elbow sleeve. The objective of this study is to propose the design and test the functionality of a soft robotic elbow sleeve in assisting flexion and extension of th...

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Autores principales: Koh, Tze Hui, Cheng, Nicholas, Yap, Hong Kai, Yeow, Chen-Hua
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5660967/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29118693
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2017.00597
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author Koh, Tze Hui
Cheng, Nicholas
Yap, Hong Kai
Yeow, Chen-Hua
author_facet Koh, Tze Hui
Cheng, Nicholas
Yap, Hong Kai
Yeow, Chen-Hua
author_sort Koh, Tze Hui
collection PubMed
description The provision of continuous passive, and intent-based assisted movements for neuromuscular training can be incorporated into a robotic elbow sleeve. The objective of this study is to propose the design and test the functionality of a soft robotic elbow sleeve in assisting flexion and extension of the elbow, both passively and using intent-based motion reinforcement. First, the elbow sleeve was developed, using elastomeric and fabric-based pneumatic actuators, which are soft and lightweight, in order to address issues of non-portability and poor alignment with joints that conventional robotic rehabilitation devices are faced with. Second, the control system was developed to allow for: (i) continuous passive actuation, in which the actuators will be activated in cycles, alternating between flexion and extension; and (ii) an intent-based actuation, in which user intent is detected by surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors attached to the biceps and triceps, and passed through a logic sequence to allow for flexion or extension of the elbow. Using this setup, the elbow sleeve was tested on six healthy subjects to assess the functionality of the device, in terms of the range of motion afforded by the device while in the continuous passive actuation. The results showed that the elbow sleeve is capable of achieving approximately 50% of the full range of motion of the elbow joint among all subjects. Next, further experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of the intent-based actuation on these healthy subjects. The results showed that all subjects were capable of achieving electromyography (EMG) control of the elbow sleeve. These preliminary results show that the elbow sleeve is capable of carrying out continuous passive and intent-based assisted movements. Further investigation of the clinical implementation of the elbow sleeve for the neuromuscular training of neurologically-impaired persons, such as stroke survivors, is needed.
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spelling pubmed-56609672017-11-08 Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation Koh, Tze Hui Cheng, Nicholas Yap, Hong Kai Yeow, Chen-Hua Front Neurosci Neuroscience The provision of continuous passive, and intent-based assisted movements for neuromuscular training can be incorporated into a robotic elbow sleeve. The objective of this study is to propose the design and test the functionality of a soft robotic elbow sleeve in assisting flexion and extension of the elbow, both passively and using intent-based motion reinforcement. First, the elbow sleeve was developed, using elastomeric and fabric-based pneumatic actuators, which are soft and lightweight, in order to address issues of non-portability and poor alignment with joints that conventional robotic rehabilitation devices are faced with. Second, the control system was developed to allow for: (i) continuous passive actuation, in which the actuators will be activated in cycles, alternating between flexion and extension; and (ii) an intent-based actuation, in which user intent is detected by surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors attached to the biceps and triceps, and passed through a logic sequence to allow for flexion or extension of the elbow. Using this setup, the elbow sleeve was tested on six healthy subjects to assess the functionality of the device, in terms of the range of motion afforded by the device while in the continuous passive actuation. The results showed that the elbow sleeve is capable of achieving approximately 50% of the full range of motion of the elbow joint among all subjects. Next, further experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of the intent-based actuation on these healthy subjects. The results showed that all subjects were capable of achieving electromyography (EMG) control of the elbow sleeve. These preliminary results show that the elbow sleeve is capable of carrying out continuous passive and intent-based assisted movements. Further investigation of the clinical implementation of the elbow sleeve for the neuromuscular training of neurologically-impaired persons, such as stroke survivors, is needed. Frontiers Media S.A. 2017-10-25 /pmc/articles/PMC5660967/ /pubmed/29118693 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2017.00597 Text en Copyright © 2017 Koh, Cheng, Yap and Yeow. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Koh, Tze Hui
Cheng, Nicholas
Yap, Hong Kai
Yeow, Chen-Hua
Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation
title Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation
title_full Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation
title_fullStr Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation
title_full_unstemmed Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation
title_short Design of a Soft Robotic Elbow Sleeve with Passive and Intent-Controlled Actuation
title_sort design of a soft robotic elbow sleeve with passive and intent-controlled actuation
topic Neuroscience
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5660967/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29118693
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2017.00597
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