Kinematic analysis and control for upper limb robotic rehabilitation system

More than 130,000 people have strokes each year in the United States [1]. Of these victims, 76% are left with disabilities that cost the nation over $54 billion in lost work and medical fees. One prominent disability is upper extremity hemiplegia, which occurs among approximately 50% of stroke sufferers [2]. Robotic technology has the potential to provide an automated platform for controlled rehabilitation and assisted, task-oriented therapy. Several systems have been designed to assist in patient articulation of an impaired hand using rigid robotic components. While these products have been successful in articulating the pure bending motions of the four fingers, the limited capabilities of rigid technologies fail to reproduce the complicated motion path [5] of the thumb during opposition grasp (see Figure 1). This is the most important articulation for normal hand function and specifically for picking up everyday objects. To date, robotic systems for thumb rehabilitation have not been widely investigated [3] apart from some recent work [4] that used a multi-joint rigid robot.

Robotic systems have significantly transformed the landscape of minimally invasive surgery, offering enhanced precision, reduced recovery times, and improved patient outcomes. These systems have evolved from simple mechanical tools to sophisticated platforms integrating advanced control algorithms and real-time feedback mechanisms. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the role of robotic systems in minimally invasive surgery, exploring the various benefits, inherent risks, and the challenges associated with their adoption and development. We examine the technical aspects of robotic control systems, such as kinematics, force control, and haptic feedback, which enable greater surgical accuracy. Despite these advantages, challenges such as system complexity, high costs, and ethical concerns remain significant barriers to widespread adoption. The future of robotic surgery lies in overcoming these obstacles, with advancements in system miniaturization and further refinement of control systems poised to enhance the efficacy and accessibility of robotic platforms. This paper explores the role of robotic systems in minimally invasive surgery, focusing on three key areas: bronchoscopy and ureteroscopy. By reviewing the benefits, risks, case studies, and future directions of these technologies, the paper seeks to provide an in-depth understanding of how robotic systems are shaping the future of surgery. Key words: Robotic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotic Control Systems, Surgical Precision, PID Control, Kinematics, Inverse Kinematics, Forward Kinematics, Dynamic Control, Force Control, Impedance Control, Surgical Robotics, Haptic Feedback, Robotic Arm, Robotic Surgery Benefits, Robotic Surgery Risks, Robot-Assisted Surgery, Surgeon Console, Real-Time Feedback, Surgical Training, Robotic System Development, System Testing, Clinical Trials, Surgical Robot Performance, Robotics in Urology, Telepresence Surgery, Robotic Surgery Cost, Robotic Surgery Future Directions.

The present study highlights the advantages of robotic systems for post-stroke rehabilitation of the upper limb. The latest demographic studies illustrate a continuous increase of the average life span, which leads to a continuous increase of stroke incidents and patients requiring rehabilitation. Some studies estimate that by 2030 the number of physical therapists will be insufficient for the patients requiring physical rehabilitation, imposing a shift in the current methodologies. A viable option is the implementation of robotic systems that assist the patient in performing rehabilitation exercises, the physical therapist role being to establish the therapeutic program for each patient and monitor their individual progress. Using a set of clinical measurements for the upper limb motions, the analysis of rehabilitation robotic systems provides a comparative study between the motions required by clinicians and the ones that robotic systems perform for different therapeutic exercises. A critical analysis of existing robots is performed using several classifications: mechanical design, assistance type, actuation and power transmission, control systems and human robot interaction (HRI) strategies. This classification will determine a set of pre-requirements for the definition of new concepts and efficient solutions for robotic assisted rehabilitation therapy.

Rehabilitation Robotics involves the use of robotic systems as an enabling technology for people with kinetic problems, in order to help them recover from a physical trauma. This paper presents the investigation of a robotic system for stroke and post hand-surgery patient rehabilitation, in order to gradually regain flexibility in their finger-joints by passively extending and flexing their fingers. It includes one linear actuator for each finger and a thin-film force sensor at each fingertip as a safety measure against overstraining the finger-joints. Prior to designing the system, kinematic and dynamic models of a human hand have been derived and simulated in MATLAB. Data obtained from this model show a strong correlation to natural human hand movements, recorded in this study using a 6 DoF motion capture system. Design of the robotic system is performed using UGS NX6 software.

Background Innovations in medical technologies have impacted surgery sustainably in the last decades. To enable and further improve microsurgical outcomes, different loupes and optic-based microscopes have been proposed in recent years. In amputation surgery continuous progress and prosthetic developments have provided amputees with an improved degree of function and quality of life.Herein, we present a 17-year-old patient who suffered a traumatic loss of the left upper limb and underwent target muscle reinnervation surgery facilitated by a three-dimensional (3D) robotic exoscope system. Methods The rerouting of the distal ends of the arm nerves (TMR) was performed in the upper limb of a traumatic transhumeral amputee patient using a 3D robotic exoscope system (RS, RoboticScope, BHS Technologies, Innsbruck, Austria). Perioperative data was collected and compared to standard. Users' perspective evaluation of the system during the surgical procedure was done using a 5-point Likert scale. Results Operation time was 311 minutes, the robotic system was used for 101 minutes. Overall users' evaluation revealed a 4.5 for the selected items on the Likert scale. The evaluation showed similar results in the evaluation of the system by the main and assistant surgeons. No special training was required beforehand. The bimanual control allowed for improved personal freedom in the surgical field at a comfortable position. The imaging of colors will need future improvements until an authentic representation of in situ structures is achieved. Conclusion Major advantages of a robotic scope 3D exoscope system are improved image quality, ergonomic position, and increased accessibility in a wider operating field due to system-implied features. Another benefit is digital documentation and simultaneous education through the possibility of capturing images and videos, as well as easy transportation in between operating rooms without risk to harm the vulnerable optic. Digital microscopes are still associated with high acquisition costs, and they are not yet implemented as standard of care due to limited experience.

Kinematic analysis and error modeling of TAU parallel robot

Dynamic evaluation mechanisms of the human upper limb are of great value for research and applications in upper limb rehabilitation, especially for the development of robotic upper limb rehabilitation systems. This paper proposes a muscle force prediction method based on the Hill muscle model. The proposed approach, which combines sEMG signals and kinematic data, provides a deep understanding of the dynamic motion mechanisms and parameters that characterize the upper limbs of the human body. The study provides a theoretical benchmark for the evaluation of rehabilitation training practices and for improved designs of upper limb rehabilitation robots that are used for upper limb neuro-rehabilitation. Specifically, the system collected motion data and sEMG signals from the upper limbs of the human body through a high-speed infrared motion capture system and skin sEMG sensors. By applying human kinematics and dynamics theories, real-time joint angle and torque information was obtained and imported into OpenSim. This platform can simulate the real-time muscle force values produced by the upper limbs during movements. The myoelectric signals were first filtered to remove noise, and an exponential model was then used to obtain the muscle activation. These data were then entered into the Hill-type prediction model to determine an individual’s muscle forces. In this paper, grasping movements commonly used in everyday situations were taken as a testing case. The results of the experiments showed that an individual’s muscle forces can be predicted using a Hill-type model. The results are consistent with those from simulated muscle force models and can reflect the real forces experienced during upper limb exercises.KeywordsMuscle forceUpper limb movementHuman–robot interactionBiomechanics analysissEMG signals

Cable-driven robots are commonly applied in the rehabilitation field. Many tendon-based systems use parallel end-effector structures because of the advantages of fast reactions and high force outputs. We previously developed an active cable-driven robotic system that enabled accurate force control and was applied while walking on a treadmill. However, the kinematic and kinetic assistance methods need to be improved. Given the advantages of tendon-based parallel systems, this study investigated walking generated by four cables that were directly attached around the ankle. The aim of this work was to develop a tendon-based parallel robotic system to provide assisted walking on a treadmill with gait-specific position guidance and force compensation. To demonstrate the assistance effects, preliminary physiological responses of leg muscles during walking with the system were investigated. A parallel robotic system with four cable-driven units was developed. Kinematic and kinetic analyses of walking were performed, followed by the development of control algorithms for walking with impedance assistance only and walking with impedance assistance plus kinetic compensation. The muscle activity of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius muscles was recorded and analyzed. On the basis of the kinematic and kinetic analyses, the tendon-based parallel robotic system produced treadmill walking with position and force assistance. The force control algorithms tracked the target force profile with a mean error of 6.4 N. During impedance-assisted walking, the rectus femoris, gluteus maximus and biceps femoris muscles produced a mean electromyography of 115.1% of the activity during independent walking (without assistance). However, the activity of the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius reduced to only 82.5% of that during independent walking. Further kinetic compensation generally reduced the muscle activity, with the mean electromyography result being 88.7% of that during independent walking. From a technical point of view, the tendon-based parallel robotic system provided walking-specific position and force assistance in leg movement, accompanied by reduced muscle activity compared with independent walking. A technical feasibility study will be conducted to evaluate whether the tendon-based parallel robotic system is feasible for assisted treadmill walking in the general population and whether position guidance and force assistance are acceptable.

To begin the work presents some redundancy resolution schemes for robotic arms, i.e., the techniques for exploiting the redundant degrees of freedom in the solution of the inverse kinematics problem. This is obviously an issue of major relevance for motion planning and control purposes. In particular, task-oriented kinematics and the basic methods for its inversion at the velocity (first-order differential) level are first recalled. This paper focuses on modeling and simulations of the inverse kinematics of an anthropomorphic redundant robotic structure with seven degrees of freedom and a workspace similar to human arm. Also the kinematic model of the robotic arm in the MATLAB and Simulink environment is presented. A method of resolving the redundancy of a seven degrees of freedom robotic arm when a degree of freedom has a known variation is presented. The kinematic analysis and virtual simulation share similar results.

The ArmAssist is a simple low-cost robotic system for upper limb motor training that combines known benefits of repetitive task-oriented training, greater intensity of practice, and less dependence on therapist assistance. The aim of this preliminary study was to compare the efficacy of ArmAssist (AA) robotic training against matched conventional arm training in subacute stroke subjects with moderate-to-severe upper limb impairment. Twenty-six subjects were enrolled within 3 months of stroke and randomly assigned to the AA group or Control group (n = 13 each). Both groups were trained 5 days per week for 3 weeks. The primary outcome measure was Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) motor score, and the secondary outcomes were Wolf Motor Function Test-Functional Ability Scale (WMFT-FAS) and Barthel index (BI). The AA group, in comparison to the Control group, showed significantly greater increases in FMA-UE score (18.0 ± 9.4 versus 7.5 ± 5.5, p = 0.002) and WMFT-FAS score (14.1 ± 7.9 versus 6.7 ± 7.8, p = 0.025) after 3 weeks of treatment, whereas the increase in BI was not significant (21.2 ± 24.8 versus 13.1 ± 10.7, p = 0.292). There were no adverse events. We conclude that arm training using the AA robotic device is safe and able to reduce motor deficits more effectively than matched conventional arm training in subacute phase of stroke. The study has been registered at the ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02729649.

A robotic surgical system capable of performing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is proposed in this paper. Based on the requirements of MIS, a compliant, seven- degrees of freedom (7-DOF) pneumatically actuated mechanism is designed. A remote center of motion (RCM) as a parallelogram mechanism for holding the laparoscopic camera is also developed. The operating workspace of robotic surgical system is determined considering the physical constraints imposed by mechanical joints. The simulation results show that the robotic system meets the design requirement. This research will lay a good foundation for the development of a compliant surgical robot to assist in MIS.

The advancements of the research on Mobile Robots with high degree of autonomy is possible, on one hand, due to its broad perspective of applications and, on other hand, due to the development and reduction of costs on computer, electronic and mechanic systems. Together with the research in Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science, this scenario currently enables the proposition of ambitious and complex robotic projects. Most of the applications were developed outside the structured environment of industry assembly lines and have complex goals, such as planets exploration, transportation of parts in factories, manufacturing, cleaning and monitoring of households, handling of radioactive materials in nuclear power plants, inspection of volcanoes, and many other activities. This chapter presents and discusses the main topics involved on the design or adoption of a mobile robot system and focus on the control and navigation systems for autonomous mobile robots. Thus, this chapter is organized as follows: • The Section 2 introduces the main aspects of the Robot design, such as: the conceptualization of the mobile robot physical structure and its relation to the world; the state of art of navigation methods and systems; and the control architectures which enables high degree of autonomy. • The Section 3 presents the dynamic and control analysis for navigation robots with kinematic and dynamic model of the differential and omnidirectional robots. • And finally, Section 4 presents applications for a robotic platform of Automation, Simulation, Control and Supervision of Navegation Robots, with studies of dynamic and kinematic modeling, control algorithms, mechanisms for mapping and localization, trajectory planning and the platform simulator.

The introduction of surgical robots improves the quality of healthcare due to the minimal invasiveness, reduced pain of patients, improved efficiency, accuracy, and the efficacy of surgery. The majority of the existing surgical robotic systems are based on master–slave teleoperation mode. The emerging handheld collaborative control modes in robotic systems omit the teleoperation master, and instead use handheld intelligent controls to directly drive its actuator end in order to eliminate motion control uncertainties such as tremors. This chapter puts forward a novel kind of handheld robot system driven by magnetic actuators based on the magnetically suspended technology. The configuration analysis and the design method of magnetic bearing with current bias are presented, and then the analysis and method of the 1-DOF (Degree of Freedom), 3-DOF, and 4-DOF magnetic suspension-based robotic actuator systems are proposed in details.

For patients with upper limb dysfunction after stroke, robot-assisted rehabilitation training plays an important role in functional recovery. The existing upper limb rehabilitation robots have some problems, such as complex mechanisms, insufficient compliance, and can only realize the rehabilitation training of shoulder and elbow joints in the horizontal plane. This research proposes a novel end-effector upper limb rehabilitation robot with three degrees of freedom. Two horizontal rotation freedoms are driven by motors and one vertical translation freedom is driven by a pneumatic cylinder. So it can realize the spatial rehabilitation training of shoulder and elbow joints. The rotation and translation transformation of the robot can be represented by a dual quaternion, which is concise in form and clear in the physical meaning. Therefore, this article adopts dual quaternions to complete the robot’s kinematics modeling, inverse kinematics calculation, and terminal spiral motion trajectory planning. To improve the low-speed moving performance of the spiral motion, a sliding mode control strategy plus feedforward compensation is employed to control the displacement of the cylinder. Experiments show that the robot can realize proximal joints training and has good position tracking accuracy (tracking error is within 2 mm) with smoothness under the proposed control strategy, which can guarantee the accuracy and comfort of passive rehabilitation training, contributing to restoring the function of the impairment upper limbs.

Compact rehabilitation robot system which can support movement of the wrist of patients has been developed. The robot system can detect and analyze the patient's intention to move the wrist by such a biological signal as muscle potential, then, assist the wrist exercise of patients. Also, both-wrist rehabilitation robot system by mirror effect has been successfully developed for practical use in the hospital and at home.