NeXOS – The design, development and evaluation of a rehabilitation system for the lower limbs

Abstract

Recent years have seen the development of a number of automated and semi-automated systems to support for physiotherapy and rehabilitation. These deploy a range of technologies from highly complex purpose built systems to approaches based around the use of industrial robots operating either individually or in combination for applications ranging from stroke to mobility enhancement. The NeXOS project set out to investigate an approach to the rehabilitation of the lower limbs in a way which brought together expertise in engineering design and mechatronics with specilists in rehabilitation and physiotherapy.The resulting system has resulted in a prototype of a system which is capable in operating in a number of modes from fully independent to providing direct support to a physiotherapist during manipulation of the limb.Designed around a low cost approach for an implementation ultimately capable of use in a patients home using web-baased strategies for communication with their support team, the prototype NeXOS system has validated the adoption of an integrated approach to its development. The paper considers this design and development process and provides the results from the initial tests with physiotherapists to establish the operational basis for clinical implementation.1 NeXOS -THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A REHABILITATION SYSTEM FOR THE LOWER LIMBS

Rehabilitation Technologies: Biomechatronics Point of View

“…30. TEM: Therapeutic Exercise Machine Bradley et al developed a 2-DOF autonomous system called NeXOS (Bradley et al, 2009) that is able to perform active assistive, passive and resistive exercises using pre-training visual position information. It can be used for knee and hip extension-flexion movements.…”

Impedance Control of a Pneumatic Muscles-Driven Ankle Rehabilitation Robot

“…In addition, the number of patients with joint and muscle injury is increasing rapidly and their rehabilitation problems are becoming more and more serious. Medical theory has proved that appropriate amount of scientific rehabilitation training can improve the recovery effect for ankle injury patients after the completion of surgery [1]. Traditional ankle rehabilitation needs high physical demanding work from therapists.…”

Upper limb rehabilitation robot for physical therapy: design, control, and testing

“…It has position and force sensors, which can work with an electrostimulation device that functions according to patient performance. Bradley et al developed a 2-DOF autonomous system known as NeXOS [22]. It can perform passive, active-assistive, and resistive exercises for knee and hip extension-flexion movements.…”