Research on an ankle rehabilitation robot for hemiplegic patients after stroke

• Published in: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine Journal of engineering in medicine, 2023-10, Vol.237 (10), p.1177-1189
• Main Authors: Sun, Zhengdi, Mu, Anle, Wang, Chunbao, Liu, Quanquan, Hao, Fuxiang, Wei, Jianjun, Li, Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ankle; Human motion; Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation robots; Robot control; Robots; Stroke; Torque; Training
• ISSN: 0954-4119; 2041-3033
• DOI: 10.1177/09544119231197082

This paper proposes an ankle rehabilitation robot to assist hemiplegic patients with movement training. The robot consists of two symmetric mechanisms, allowing stroke survivors to execute ankle rehabilitation training based on physiological differences. LPMS-B sensors measure the range of movement (ROM) of the human ankle joint, and the results are used for control parameters of the robot. Control strategies for constant speed training mode, constant torque training mode, and combination training mode are put forth based on the hardware system of the robot. Experiments verify the feasibility of the robot for ankle rehabilitation training. Results show a maximum mean error of 0.3364° between the trajectory of the intact side and the affected side, a maximum mean error of 0.0335°/s between target speed and experimental speed, and a maximum mean error of 0.0775 N m between target torque and experimental torque. The ankle joint rehabilitation robot proposed in this paper can help patients complete the training well under the three control modes. Graphical abstract