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Development of a novel body weight support system for gait rehabilitation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2022

Lucas A. O. Rodrigues Open the ORCID record for Lucas A. O. Rodrigues [Opens in a new window]  and
Rogério S. Gonçalves Open the ORCID record for Rogério S. Gonçalves [Opens in a new window]
Lucas A. O. Rodrigues
Affiliation:
Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
Rogério S. Gonçalves*
Affiliation:
Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: rsgoncalves@ufu.br
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Abstract

Modern rehabilitation processes for neurological patients have been widely assisted by robotic structures, with continuous research and improvements. The use of robotic assistance in rehabilitation is a consolidated technique for upper limb training sessions. However, human gait robotic rehabilitation still needs further research and development. Based on that, this paper deals with the development of a novel active body weight support (BWS) system integrated with a serious game for poststroke patients. This paper starts with a brief review of the state of the art of applied technologies for gait rehabilitation. Next, it presents the obtained mathematical model followed by multibody synthesis techniques and meta-heuristic optimization to the proposed device. The control of the structure is designed using proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers tuned with meta-heuristic optimization and associated with a suppression function to perform assist-as-needed actions. Then, the prototype is integrated with a serious game designed specifically for this application. Finally, a pilot study is conducted with the structure and healthy volunteers. The results obtained show that the mobility of the novel BWS is as expected and the proposed system potentially offers a novel tool for gait training.

Keywords

body weight supportgaitrehabilitation roboticsstrokewalking
Type
Research Article
Information
Robotica , Volume 41 , Issue 4 , April 2023 , pp. 1275 - 1294
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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