A gait-assistive mobile robot based on a body weight support and autonomous path tracking system

Yu, Seung-Nam; Jang, JH; Kim, Do-Hyung; Jy, Lee; Han, Chonghun

doi:10.1177/0954406211416541

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Bostelman and Albus devised a robot which is similar to an electric wheelchair along with an intelligent patient handling system (Bostelman and Albus, 2008). Among the research about patient handling and orientation maintenance, Zaidi et al has already proposed a special bedplate that can be fitted to different devices (Zaidi et al , 2011). In the process of image fusion, the patient and the bedplate are relatively static so that the orientation and position can be maintained.…”

Section: Application Analysis Of Previous Work and Related Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A medical transportation robot for carrying and positioning patients between different devices

Wang

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose This paper aims to present a prototype of medical transportation robot whose positioning accuracy can reach millimeter-level in terms of patient transportation. By using this kind of mobile robot, a fully automatic image diagnosis process among independent CT/PET devices and the image fusion can be achieved. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, a large-load 4WD-4WS (four-wheel driving and four-wheel steering) mobile robot for carrying patient among multiple medical imaging equipments is developed. At the same time, a specially designed bedplate with self-locking function is also introduced. For further improving the positioning accuracy, the authors proposed a calibration method based on Gaussian process regression (GPR) to process the measuring data of the sensors. The performance of this robot is verified by the calibration experiment and Image fusion experiment. Finally, concluding comments are drawn. Findings By calibrating the robot’s positioning system through the proposed GPR method, one can obtain the accuracy of the robot’s offset distance and deflection angle, which are 0.50 mm and +0.21°, respectively. Independent repeated trials were then set up to verify this result. Subsequent phantom experiment shows the accuracy of image fusion can be accurate within 0.57 mm in the front-rear direction and 0.83 in the left-right direction, respectively, while the clinical experiment shows that the proposed robot can practically realize the transportation of patient and image fusion between multiple imaging diagnosis devices. Practical implications The proposed robot offers an economical image fusion solution for medical institutions whose imaging diagnosis system basically comprises independent MRI, CT and PET devices. Also, a fully automatic diagnosis process can be achieved so that the patient’s suffering of getting in and out of the bed and the doctor’s radiation dose can be obviated. Social implications The general bedplate presented in Section 2 that can be mounted on the CT and PET devices and the self-locking mechanism has realized the catching and releasing motion of the patient on different medical devices. They also provide a detailed method regarding patient handling and orientation maintenance, which was hardly mentioned in previous research. By establishing the positioning system between the robot and different medical equipment, a fully automatic diagnosis process can be achieved so that the patient’s suffering of getting in and out of the bed and the doctor’s radiation dose can be obviated. Originality/value The GPR-based method proposed in this paper offers a novel method for enhancing the positioning accuracy of the industrial AGV while the transportation robot proposed in this paper also offers a solution for modern imaging fusion diagnosis, which are basically predicated on the conjoint analysis between different kinds of medical devices.

show abstract

Section: Application Analysis Of Previous Work and Related Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A medical transportation robot for carrying and positioning patients between different devices

Wang

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In particular, in terms of guaranteed assistance with daily living activities and functional improvements, individuals with mobility disorders will feel that time spent in training is acceptable to achieve the promised efficacy. 1,2 Indeed, many researches in clinical treatment have proved that practicing repetitive multijoint movement is helpful for neurological injured patients to prevent secondly complications and regain motor or sensory functioning. [3][4][5][6][7] Traditional physical therapy incorporating a body-weight support system, a treadmill and manual assistance has been widely applied as a regular therapy for patients with paraplegia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and control of a robotic lower limb exoskeleton for paraplegic patients

Yang

Wang

Zhi-yong

et al. 2018

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C:

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Robot-assisted therapy has gained wide attention in rehabilitation engineering, allowing patients with lower limb motor disorders to perform repeatable and consistent upright bipedal walking. The goal of this paper is to develop a novel wearable powered exoskeleton that enables the paraplegic to perform basic daily movements for active rehabilitation training of lower limbs. Mechanical structure and driving devices of the exoskeleton are reasonably designed and selected to ensure natural interaction with the user and provide sufficient driving torques in the course of walking. In order to avoid unwanted interaction forces between the exoskeleton and the patient, the passive exoskeleton testing system is proposed to measure and record various postures as the reference trajectories. In addition, a cascaded proportional–integral–derivative controller is designed to complete walking assistance tasks in passive control modes. Four typical trajectory tracking tasks are carried out for the sake of evaluating the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. Further experiments were conducted by a healthy subject wearing the rehabilitation exoskeleton to perform sit-to-stand and level walking, and the results demonstrated that the developed robot-assisted system had the natural period and favorable response patterns.

show abstract

“…Moreover, in many cases, therapists help patients to develop the correct motion of lower limbs manually. 1–4…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, in many cases, therapists help patients to develop the correct motion of lower limbs manually. [1][2][3][4] High efficiency of this method is well documented by multiple studies conducted with persons suffering from various walk disorders. [5][6][7][8][9][10] One of the main advantages of the training with the use of unloading systems and the treadmill is high repeatability of exercises.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechatronic treadmill for gait reeducation with control algorithm of treadmill speed adaptation

Gembalczyk

Duda

Kciuk

et al. 2018

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C:

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Different types of devices, from the simplest (medical walkers) to the most technologically advanced ones (mechatronic devices), are widely used to support the rehabilitation process for people who suffered strokes or have other disabilities—especially to enhance their mobility. This article presents a new mechatronic system for gait reeducation, which consists of two main components: training treadmill and body weight support system. The device is also equipped with sensors for measuring the rope inclination angle, rope tension and foot pressure on the ground. The transmission of measurement and control signals between the computer with control system and the electromechanical part of the device is realized by means of three real-time boards. This publication covers certain issues related to the device design process, integration of the main components, as well as the description of the developed treadmill speed adaptation algorithm and experimental verification of such control system. The speed of treadmill belt is adjusted by a feedback loop with a rope inclination angle measurement. Because of the kind of the connection of the treadmill (the control signals are sent to the buttons in the treadmill control panel) and related limitations, a proper conversion of the control signal was required, from a continuous one to a digital square wave signal with variable period. Developing an optimal treadmill speed control algorithm in this case was an interesting engineering challenge.

show abstract

A gait-assistive mobile robot based on a body weight support and autonomous path tracking system

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

A medical transportation robot for carrying and positioning patients between different devices

A medical transportation robot for carrying and positioning patients between different devices

Development and control of a robotic lower limb exoskeleton for paraplegic patients

Mechatronic treadmill for gait reeducation with control algorithm of treadmill speed adaptation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About