Portable Arm Exoskeleton with Alternative-Input Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rehabilitation devices for brachial plexus injury (BPI) are bulky, limited to clinical environments, and require muscle activity signals, making them unsuitable for home use and ineffective for users with complete paralysis.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, portable exoskeleton apparatus with a sensor-based user input system, allowing for active force application to assist arm movements, distributed weight support, and adjustable straps for user comfort and fit, enabling rehabilitation and strength augmentation in various environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional robotic equipment is used to provide sufficient power for upper arm movements, then the power capability is improved, but the device becomes bulky and not portable
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic exoskeleton is divided into multiple modular segments corresponding to different body joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist), each powered by its own actuator. This segmentation allows the system to provide sufficient power at each joint while keeping individual components compact and manageable, resolving the contradiction between power capability and portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from fixed, wall-mounted robotic systems to a wearable exoskeleton that moves with the user's body. By embedding the robotic components within the body structure and using body weight support, the system achieves sufficient power delivery without requiring bulky external power sources, thus improving portability while maintaining power capability.
2Measurement precision
If conventional robotic equipment requires muscle activity signals for control, then the control precision is improved, but it becomes ineffective for users with complete paralysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary control layer that translates various user input modalities (switches, sensors detecting body position, neural signals from the non-paralyzed side) into commands for the exoskeleton. This intermediary system enables precise control for users with complete arm paralysis by accepting signals from alternative sources, thus resolving the contradiction between control precision and adaptability to paralysis level.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed to be universal, accepting multiple types of user inputs including traditional muscle signals, body position sensors, switches operated by the non-paralyzed side, and neural signals. This multi-functionality allows the same exoskeleton to serve users across the full spectrum of paralysis severity, from partial to complete paralysis, thereby improving both control precision and adaptability.
3Reliability
If physical therapy is provided immediately after diagnosis to prevent muscle contracture and joint stiffness, then the rehabilitation effectiveness is improved, but the treatment duration and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic exoskeleton enables continuous, passive rehabilitation movements that can be performed repeatedly without fatigue. The system maintains constant gentle motion and positioning, providing uninterrupted rehabilitation action that prevents muscle contracture and joint stiffness more effectively than intermittent manual therapy, thus improving rehabilitation effectiveness while reducing the perceived treatment duration through automated continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The exoskeleton system performs rehabilitation functions autonomously, with the robotic components automatically executing prescribed movement sequences and providing passive therapy without requiring continuous therapist intervention. This self-service capability allows the system to deliver consistent, reliable rehabilitation treatment over extended periods, improving effectiveness while reducing the time investment required from healthcare professionals.
4Ease of manufacture
If muscle stretching is used as the primary task to avoid muscular atrophy, then the rehabilitation focus is improved, but the functional outcome and strength restoration are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic exoskeleton performs preliminary active movements and strength-building exercises that go beyond passive stretching. By pre-positioning the limb and applying controlled forces to elicit muscle activation, the system prepares the muscle tissue for more intensive rehabilitation activities, thereby improving both the focus and the productivity of strength restoration while maintaining ease of implementation through automated guidance.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (10) for the rehabilitation, assistance and/or augmentation of arm strength in a user (U) comprises a support arrangement (12) for supporting the apparatus (10) on the user (U), a linkage arrangement (14) coupled to the support arrangement (12) and for coupling to an arm (A) of the user (U), and an actuation arrangement (16) for operating the linkage arrangement (14) and thereby manipulating the user's arm (A) in response to a user input signal.