Development and Evaluation of a Soft Wearable Knee Rehabilitation Apparatus Publisher



Kabir P¹ ; Zareinejad M² ; Ali Talebi H³ ; Soleimanifar M⁴ ; Mavajian M⁵ ; Ashoori M⁶
Source: 10th RSI International Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics# ICRoM 2022 Published:2022

Abstract

In this paper, the design, construction and preliminary evaluation of a knee joint flexion rehabilitation device capable of restoring knee joint range of motion is detailed. To compensate for the movement of the knee joint's center of rotation, the design consists of an array of air-filled, inflatable pouches with varying spacing between them. The device is intended to achieve knee flexion of 90 degrees and provide 10N.m of torque. A torque evaluation test bed was constructed and utilized to measure the actuator's exerted torque at fixed angles. Torque exerted by the device is examined to ensure it satisfies design specifications and can exert even more torque if utilized appropriately. The device was further assessed in a standing posture on three healthy individuals in order to establish the effect of lower limb form and weight on the device's functionality, which demonstrates an adequate response time for usage on patients with knee flexion impairments. Also, a considerable transient reaction shift was seen during a response test that was done on a fixed 30-degree device to assess the impacts of regulator pressure change. © 2022 IEEE.