Cable-driven Arm Soft Re-configurable Exoskeleton for Muscle Impairment Rehabilitation

Upper limb muscles wrap around bones to aid Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) like eating, enhances leverage and joint stability.

Conditions like stroke, along with an aging population, impair upper limb control, reducing Range of Motion (ROM) and force. Stroke incidence is rising, with costs and disability affecting millions. Rehabilitation Therapy (RT) is crucial for ADLs, it boosts self-esteem and reduces depression. Challenges include therapist shortages, which robotic exoskeletons offer solutions.

Exoskeletons are wearable robots that enhance strength and mobility, mainly tested on stroke survivors. Benefits include reduced fatigue and improved range of motion. Cable-Driven Exoskeletons (CDEs) consist cables for actuation, and hence lightweight and improve comfort.

CDEs can be divided into Cable Driven Rigid Exoskeletons (CDREs), with issues such as joint misalignment, affecting patient's mobility and comfort and Cable Driven Soft Exoskeletons (CDSEs), compliant in nature and offers superior comfort and flexibility with lightweight materials.

However, existing CDSEs lacks 1) cable wrapping, mimicking muscle wrapping, and 2) dynamically movable cable attachment points, which improve force orientation, balanced joint torques, and manipulability.

To tackle the challenges, I'm developing a lightweight, compact Cable-driven Arm Soft Re-configurable Exoskeleton (CASREx), featuring cable wrapping and dynamically moving cable attachment points via a Fibre Reinforced Soft Cable-driven Micro Actuator (FReSCMA).

The research specific objectives are: SO1: FReSCMA design, characterization and testing (Work Package WP1)- Material selection, fabrication, and testing in CASREx.

SO2: Modeling of FReSCMA and development of CASREx (WP2)- Kinematic modeling and CASREx design with an actuation and control box. SO3: CASREx control and pilot study(WP3)- Control for user assistance and cable tension reduction. This exoskeleton will be lightweight and adaptable to various ADLs.