Presentation

Integration of biomechanical models in the development and operatoin of rehabilitacion reconfigurable robots

(Integración de Modelos Biomecánicos en el desarrollo y Operación de Robots Rehabilitadores Reconfigurables)

Reference: DPI2017-84201-R

State agency: Universitat Politècnica de València

Lead time: from 01/01/2018 until31/12/2020

Plan Nacional De I+D+I, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Economía, Industrial y Competitividad. Gobierno de España

Key words:

Biomechanical models, parallel robots, reconfigurable robots, dynamics, middelware, control, rehabilitation, diagnosis

Project presentation:

The objective of this project is to develop a new approach to design reconfigurable parallel robots for lower limb rehabilitation, such that they solve the problems of current systems from the perspectives of mechanics (quality of the workspace, energy consumption), biomechanics (safety, monitoring inner forces, adaptation to different patient and clinical profiles), and control (adaptation to various types of exercise and control strategies associated to different phases of the rehabilitation process).

This project is the continuation of DPI2013-44227-R, in which a 4-DoF parallel robot was developed, which could be used to apply rehabiliation exercises for ankle and knee. From the results of that and other previous projects carried out in this field by the same research team (DPI2003-07883-C02, DPI2006-147222-C02, DPI2009-13830-C02), we will solve some issues that limit the clinical application of parallel robots, as detected in the former projects.

Thus, from a mechanical perspective we want to enhance the versatility of the systems, such that small changes in their configuration allow to define sets of paths associated to different exercise typologies, with the added advantage of removing problems related to singular configurations, while keeping a low cost and a simple structure.

From the biomechanical perspective, we will work in the implementation of a musculoskeletal model of the lower limb, which can be used to analyse the inner forces and incorporate them to the control of the robot. This will require to develop a low-cost, real-time system for the analysis of human movements, based on the fusion of motion capture technologies (inertial units and optical systems with augmented reality markers).

Moreover we will apply this methodology to analyse and characterise the biomechanics of physiotherapeutic manipulations and rehabilitation exercises, which is a topic that has not yet been studied with sufficient detail.

From the perspective of the system control, we will develop advanced techniques for the control of position and force, based on estimates from the biomechanical model of the lower limb. We will incorporate interfaces for programming exercises through portable devices, in order to facilitate an intuitive and friendly usage by clinical operators and patients. Finally, we will develop different control modes adapted to different rehabilitation strategies based on active, passive and AAN (Assist-As-Needed) exercises.

In order to achieve these objectives, we have gathered a multidisciplinary team formed by researchers of UPV with a long experience in multibody dynamic systems, in the development of parallel robot control systems, design of biomechanical models, and application of such models to the clinical and rehabilitation areas (Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Materials, Dept. of Systems Engineering and Automatics, and University Institute of Biomechanics of the UPV). This team will also interact with researchers of the Association Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia, UP de Navarra and the Faculty of Physiotherapy of the Universitat de València, plus two Professors of the Universidad de los Andes (Venezuela) and Berzeit University of Jerusalem.