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Joint motion control of a powered lower limb orthosis for rehabilitation

Costa, N; Bezdicek, M; Brown, M; Gray, JO; Caldwell, DG; Hutchins, S

Authors

N Costa

M Bezdicek

M Brown

JO Gray

DG Caldwell

S Hutchins



Abstract

Many patients with spinal injures are confined to wheelchairs, leading to a sedentary lifestyle with secondary pathologies and increased dependence on a carer. Increasing evidence has shown that locomotor training reduces the incidence of these secondary pathologies, but the physical effort involved in this training is such that there is poor compliance. This paper reports on the design and control of a new “human friendly” orthosis (exoskeleton), powered by high power pneumatic Muscle Actuators (pMAs). The combination of a highly compliant actuation system, with an intelligent embedded control mechanism which senses hip, knee, and ankle positions, velocity, acceleration and force, produces powerful yet inherently safe operation for paraplegic patients. This paper analyzes the motion of ankle, knee, and hip joints under zero loading, and loads which simulate human limb mass, showing that the use of “soft” actuators can provide a smooth user friendly motion. The application of this technology will greatly improve the rehabilitative protocols for paraplegic patients.

Citation

Costa, N., Bezdicek, M., Brown, M., Gray, J., Caldwell, D., & Hutchins, S. (2006). Joint motion control of a powered lower limb orthosis for rehabilitation. International Journal of Automation and Computing, 3(3), 271-281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-006-0271-x

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jul 1, 2006
Deposit Date Jan 9, 2009
Journal International Journal of Automation and Computing
Print ISSN 1476-8186
Publisher Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 3
Issue 3
Pages 271-281
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-006-0271-x
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11633-006-0271-x



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