Active Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robot

Active Upper Limb Exercise Assist Device

This technology features a structural combination of a cuff that accommodates the user's arm for upper limb rehabilitation and a multi-joint robot module that controls it. It physically guides wrist rotation through an arc-shaped guide rail and sliding bracket within the cuff. Based on the movement of the handle and sensor data from within the cuff, the motion controller calculates and regulates the robot's 6-degree-of-freedom assistive force.

Conventional technologies are limited to specific tasks such as assisting with meals and fail to account for individual physical characteristics. Furthermore, they lack the ability to detect independent wrist rotation along the longitudinal axis of the arm or provide force assistance, resulting in lower precision for rehabilitation training.

This technology incorporates a handle and motion sensor to detect wrist rotation, along with a sliding mechanism using an arc-shaped guide rail and rollers within the cuff. The motion controller identifies the user's intent to guide 6-degree-of-freedom movement via the multi-joint robot module and provides assistive force for wrist rotation through an electric motor. Applicable to rehabilitation training, gait assistance, and medical/welfare services, it improves the user's upper limb exercise experience by accounting for physical characteristics and arm positioning while providing comfortable force assistance.

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Key Features:

• An active upper limb exercise assist device including a motion sensor positioned between a support piece and a handle, which detects the intent for wrist rotation based on the movement of the handle.
• A multi-joint robot module that selectively guides 6-degree-of-freedom movement in a Cartesian coordinate space and provides assistive force for the upper limb positioned in the cuff.
• A handle provided on the upper surface of the support piece, designed for the user to grip to facilitate wrist rotation.
• A pair of bracket members that slide along the outer ends of guide rail members positioned at the rear.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for research on physical/cognitive interaction-based neuro-robot technology.