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Machines
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State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines
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State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This special issue belongs to the section "Machine Design and Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 13054

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Andres Blanco-Ortega

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Mexico, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Interests: mechatronics; mechanical engineering; modal analysis; rehabilitation robotics; physical rehabilitation; control theory; automation; automation & robotics; MATLAB simulation
Dr. César Humberto Guzmán-Valdivia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico
Interests: mechatronics; robotics; control and instrumentation; automation & robotics; systems dynamics; system modeling; rehabilitation; mechanical engineering; kinematics; control theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In rehabilitation robotics, there have been several technological developments for various medical applications. Within these devices, we can find rehabilitation machines, orthoses, and exoskeletons, among others. The objective of these rehabilitation machines is to support and improve the effectiveness of physiotherapists to facilitate and increase the speed of patients’ recovery.

Rehabilitation machines are operated automatically and designed as tools for rehabilitation therapists to recover the range of motion, strengthen the affected part, decrease the repetitive work of physical therapists, provide patient assistance, increase the number of therapy services and offer a greater diversity of personalized therapies with precise, smooth and safe movements.

This Special Issue aims to attract researchers to present recent advances and technologies, as well as review articles, in the area of rehabilitation robotics concerning analysis, synthesis, design, and control aspects.

Prof. Dr. Andres Blanco-Ortega
Dr. César Humberto Guzmán-Valdivia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1466 KiB  
Article
Integration of sEMG-Based Learning and Adaptive Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control for an Exoskeleton Assist-as-Needed Support System
by Pablo Delgado, Nathan Gonzalez and Yimesker Yihun
Machines 2023, 11(7), 671; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines11070671 - 21 Jun 2023
Viewed by 964
Abstract
This paper presents an adaptive Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control approach for an Assist-as-Needed (AAN) strategy to achieve effective human–exoskeleton synergy. The proposed strategy employs an adaptive instance-based learning algorithm to estimate muscle effort, based on surface Electromyography (sEMG) signals. To determine and control [...] Read more.
This paper presents an adaptive Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control approach for an Assist-as-Needed (AAN) strategy to achieve effective human–exoskeleton synergy. The proposed strategy employs an adaptive instance-based learning algorithm to estimate muscle effort, based on surface Electromyography (sEMG) signals. To determine and control the inverse dynamics of a highly nonlinear 4-degrees-of-freedom exoskeleton designed for upper-limb therapeutic exercises, a modified Recursive Newton-Euler Algorithm (RNEA) with Sliding Mode Control (SMC) was used. The exoskeleton position error and raw sEMG signal from the bicep’s brachii muscle were used as inputs for a fuzzy inference system to produce an output to adjust the sliding mode control law parameters. The proposed robust control law was simulated using MATLAB-Simulink, and the results showed that it could instantly adjust the necessary support, based on the combined motion of the human–exoskeleton system’s muscle engagement, while keeping the state trajectory errors and input torque bounded within ±5×10−2 rads and ±5 N.m, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines)
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17 pages, 7634 KiB  
Article
Mechanism Design and Performance Analysis of a Wearable Hand Rehabilitation Robot
by Jiazheng Du, Yu Tian, Dagan Zhang, Hongbo Wang, Yongshun Zhang, Bo Cheng and Jianye Niu
Machines 2022, 10(12), 1211; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10121211 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1824
Abstract
Hand rehabilitation is critical to the recovery of post-stroke patients. However, designing a modular mechanism of the hand to improve the human-machine compatibility and precision of operation is still a challenge. This paper proposes a new type of hand exoskeleton rehabilitation robot with [...] Read more.
Hand rehabilitation is critical to the recovery of post-stroke patients. However, designing a modular mechanism of the hand to improve the human-machine compatibility and precision of operation is still a challenge. This paper proposes a new type of hand exoskeleton rehabilitation robot with nine degrees of freedom. With the flexible rods, the passive range of motion for finger adduction/abduction is extended under the premise of independent flexion/extension of the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joint. Based on hand anatomy, the relationship between the offset of the metacarpophalangeal joint and the body height in the process of flexion and extension is discussed, and it is applied to the structure optimization and control system. The genetic algorithm is employed to achieve the size optimization, and the kinematics is analyzed. Finally, a prototype is built and preliminary experiments are carried out, including the range of motion and the grasping ability of the robot. The experimental results show that the robot can realize the patients’ hand rehabilitation function and has certain adaptability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines)
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19 pages, 10490 KiB  
Article
Design of a Novel LLE for Energy Saving
by Miguel Garcia, Fabio Gómez, Andrea Magadán, Manuel Arias, Eladio Martínez and Andrés Blanco
Machines 2022, 10(12), 1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10121210 - 13 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1134
Abstract
Powering lower limb assistance/augmentation systems throughout long time periods is one of the major challenges in such an area. Researchers have proposed many solutions to diminishing energy consumption in such systems, many of which rely on the user’s biomechanics, that is, the design [...] Read more.
Powering lower limb assistance/augmentation systems throughout long time periods is one of the major challenges in such an area. Researchers have proposed many solutions to diminishing energy consumption in such systems, many of which rely on the user’s biomechanics, that is, the design is intended to take advantage of the user’s inertia to spare/store energy in some subphases of the walking cycle and use or release it in the subphases with the greatest energy requirement. We have approached this issue and developed a lower limb exoskeleton that would spare up to 47% of the energy required throughout the walking cycle. We have achieved this by adding a clutch at the hip to set it passive during the stance phase. Such a mechanism could be implemented in a wide range of lower limb exoskeletons with successful results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines)
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23 pages, 14034 KiB  
Article
CNC Machines for Rehabilitation: Ankle and Shoulder
by Andrés Blanco Ortega, Andrea Magadán Salazar, César. H. Guzmán Valdivia, Fabio Abel Gómez Becerra, Manuel J. Palacios Gallegos, Miguel A. García Velarde and José Alfonso Santana Camilo
Machines 2022, 10(11), 1055; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10111055 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2081
Abstract
Continuous passive motion (CPM) machines are used in the rehabilitation of members that have been injured to recover their range of motion and prevent stiffness. Nowadays, some CPM machines for the knee, ankle, arm, and elbow are available commercially. In this paper, ankle [...] Read more.
Continuous passive motion (CPM) machines are used in the rehabilitation of members that have been injured to recover their range of motion and prevent stiffness. Nowadays, some CPM machines for the knee, ankle, arm, and elbow are available commercially. In this paper, ankle and shoulder rehabilitation robots, based on an X-Y table, are presented. The novelty of these rehabilitation robots is that they have a computerized numerical control system, resulting in low-cost machines. Some G-codes for basic and combined movement routines for ankle and shoulder rehabilitation are presented. In addition, the use of a robust generalized PI controller is also proposed to guarantee safe rehabilitation movements and compensate for passive stiffness in the ankle joint of stroke survivors. Some numerical simulations are included to illustrate the dynamic performance of the robust Generalized Proportional Integral (GPI) controller using the virtual prototype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines)
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16 pages, 5467 KiB  
Article
Mechanism Design and Performance Analysis of a Sitting/Lying Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robot
by Fangyan Dong, Haoyu Li and Yongfei Feng
Machines 2022, 10(8), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10080674 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1630
Abstract
To meet the various need of stroke patients’ rehabilitation training and carry out complex task training in real scenes, the structure of a lower limb rehabilitation robot with movements in the sagittal plane and coronal plane is usually complicated. A new sitting/lying lower [...] Read more.
To meet the various need of stroke patients’ rehabilitation training and carry out complex task training in real scenes, the structure of a lower limb rehabilitation robot with movements in the sagittal plane and coronal plane is usually complicated. A new sitting/lying lower limb rehabilitation robot (LOBO) with a simple mechanism form is proposed, which is designed based on a 2-PRR parallel mechanism. First, the kinematics, singularity, and condition number of the 2-PRR parallel mechanism are analyzed, which provides the basis for mechanism parameter design. Then, through the proportional–derivative control principle, real-time tracking of LOBO’s designed trajectory is realized. Finally, the length parameters of volunteers’ lower limbs are collected, and experimental verification is conducted in LOBO’s passive training mode. The experimental results show the feasibility of LOBO’s movement in the human sagittal and coronal planes. LOBO will help human lower limbs realize the synchronous continuous rehabilitation training of hip, knee, and ankle joints spatially, which could drive the rehabilitation movement of patients’ lower limbs in the sagittal plane and coronal plane in future clinical research. LOBO can also be applied to muscle strength training for the elderly to combat the effects of aging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines)
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Review

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19 pages, 5346 KiB  
Review
State of the Art Review of Active and Passive Knee Orthoses
by Agustín Barrera Sánchez, Andrés Blanco Ortega, Eladio Martínez Rayón, Fabio Abel Gómez Becerra, Arturo Abúndez Pliego, Rafael Campos Amezcua and César Humberto Guzmán Valdivia
Machines 2022, 10(10), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10100865 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4684
Abstract
The use of specialized devices, such as orthopedic devices, has become indispensable in the lives of people with disabilities since ancient times. The primary purpose of such devices is to perform activities and solve problems that afflict their bearers in any extremity of [...] Read more.
The use of specialized devices, such as orthopedic devices, has become indispensable in the lives of people with disabilities since ancient times. The primary purpose of such devices is to perform activities and solve problems that afflict their bearers in any extremity of their body. One of the most recurrent problems occurs in the lower extremities regarding mobility and autonomy. In addition, the use of orthopedic devices is considered a tool to lighten the repetitive and heavy rehabilitation work of physiotherapists while improving the patient’s recovery efficiency. A significant challenge is that a great variety of these devices are similar in their design and manufacture, complicating their application in rehabilitation processes. For these reasons, this article aims to provide an overview of the features and considerations made in the architecture of orthosis designs, emphasizing lower extremity orthoses for the case of knee joint analysis. A literature review of active and passive knee orthoses manufactured from the 1970s to the present was carried out, considering aspects such as manufacturing materials, mechanical systems, types of actuators, and control strategies. This review shows that the designs and development of orthoses have been abundant in these devices for lower limbs. Based on the literature collected, we have studied the main robotic devices focusing on the characteristics of design, manufacturing, and control systems to assist in human locomotion and support in rehabilitation processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art in Service and Rehabilitation Machines)
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