A stewart platform-based system for ankle telerehabilitation
The "Rutgers Ankle" is a Stewart platform-type haptic interface designed for use in rehabilitation. The system supplies six-DOF resistive forces in response to virtual reality-based exercises running on a host PC. The Stewart platform uses double-acting pneumatic cylinders, linear potentiometers as position sensors, and a six-DOF force sensor. The Rutgers Ankle controller contains an embedded Pentium board, pneumatic solenoid valves, valve controllers, and associated signal conditioning electronics. Communication with the host PC is over a standard RS232 line. The platform movement and output forces are transparently recorded by the host PC in a database. This database can be accessed remotely over the Internet. Thus, the Rutgers Ankle Orthopedic Rehabilitation Interface will allow patients to exercise at home while being monitored remotely by therapists. A prototype was constructed, and proof-of-concept trials were conducted at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The results indicate that the system works well as a diagnostic tool. The subjective evaluation by patients was very positive. Further medical trials are needed before the system clinical efficacy in rehabilitation can be established.
stewart platform telerehabilitation force feedback ankle rehabilitation virtual reality hexapod pneumatic robotics parallel robots