Mechanical design and kinematic performance of an anthropomorphic shoulder rehabilitation exoskeleton

Abstract

Shoulder rehabilitation exoskeleton is a mechanical device to assist stroke patients in rehabilitation training, remodeling patients' neurological function by strengthening the muscles and promoting the recovery of shoulder function. At present, there are problems such as insufficient degree of freedom (DOF), insufficient overall range of motion (ROM), presence of passive joints, lack of the support of scapulohumeral rhythm (SHR), and poor kinematic synergy with the shoulder. This paper designs a 5-DOF shoulder rehabilitation exoskeleton based on the anatomical structure of the human shoulder and its motion characteristics, takes the 2-DOF shoulder girdle mechanism and the 3-DOF ball and socket mechanism as the main body taking into account the ergonomic factors in design, which ensures the synergistic motion with the patient's shoulder and provides the patient with a wide ROM. After setting up the drive and control system, this paper completes the prototype of the exoskeleton, furthermore, this paper describes the range of motion and kinematic synergy test. ROM tests and kinematic synergy experiments are conducted to evaluate the kinematic performance of this shoulder exoskeleton. The experimental results indicate that the shoulder exoskeleton prototype offers a high level of kinematic synergy with the wearer throughout a broad ROM.