Rehabilitation robot control device and control method thereof

Rehabilitation Robot Control Device

This technology measures a rehabilitation robot user's brain signals (specifically changes in blood flow) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRs) and compares them against machine learning-based pain patterns to determine the presence and intensity of pain. It then uses this data as a control logic to automatically adjust the robot's operating intensity or trigger an emergency stop.

Conventional manual emergency stop buttons are difficult for patients to press in an emergency, and existing physical quantity sensing methods have limitations in accurately responding in real-time to pain outside the training range or sudden situational changes.

This control device consists of a sensor unit that monitors the user's cerebral blood flow, a processing unit that recognizes pain patterns, and a control unit that automatically stops the robot or adjusts its intensity based on pain signal trends when the signals exceed a preset threshold. Applicable to rehabilitation training, gait assistance, and medical/welfare services, it enhances the safety and effectiveness of rehabilitation by automatically adjusting robot operating intensity based on the user's brain signals.

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Key Features:

• A brain signal processing unit that determines whether the measured brain signals indicate pain by comparing them against preset pain patterns.
• A rehabilitation robot control device including a rehabilitation robot control unit that regulates the robot's operating intensity based on whether the measured brain signals indicate pain.
• A brain signal measurement unit that measures brain signals corresponding to changes in cerebral blood flow from a user utilizing a rehabilitation robot.
• A brain signal processing unit that determines whether the measured brain signals indicate pain.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for the development of upper-limb rehabilitation robot technology using EXG for cognitive/motor rehabilitation of patients with upper-limb paralysis.