A wearable somatosensory teaching device with adjustable operating force for gait rehabilitation training robot

• Main Authors: Bingjing Guo, Jianhai Han, Xiangpan Li, Peng Wu, Yanbin Zhang, Aimin You
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-10-01
• Series: Advances in Mechanical Engineering
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1687814017726293

A novel wearable multi-joint teaching device for lower-limb gait rehabilitation is presented, intended to facilitate the adjustment of training modes in unique requirements of patients. A physiotherapist manipulates this active teaching device to plan the personalized gait trajectory and to construct the individual training mode. A haptic interaction joint module that stems from the friction braking principle is outlined here, with an adjustable operating force exerted by pneumatic film cylinders. With dual functions of somatosensory perception and teaching, it provides physiotherapist with a smooth and comfortable operation and a kind of force telepresence. The main contents are elaborated including the structural design and pneumatic proportional servo system of the teaching device and the joint module, operating force control principle, and gravity compensation method. Through performance tests of the prototype, the adjustable operating force has been demonstrated with the characteristics of good linearity and response speed. The results of master–slave control experiments preliminarily verified the effectiveness of the control approach. The research on the novel somatosensory teaching device with master–slave teaching mode has provided a concise, convenient, and efficient means for the clinical application of lower-limb rehabilitation robots, presumably as a new idea and technical supports for the future design.