Abstract-This paper presents a wearable upper body exoskeleton system with a model-based compensation control framework to support robot-aided shoulder-elbow rehabilitation and power assistance tasks. To eliminate the need for EMG and force sensors, we exploit off-the-shelf compensation techniques developed for robot manipulators. Thus, target rehabilitation tasks are addressed by using only encoder readings. A proofof-concept evaluation was conducted with five able-bodied participants. The patient-active rehabilitation task was realized via observer-based user torque estimation, in which resistive forces were adjusted using virtual impedance. In the patient-passive rehabilitation task, the proposed controller enabled precise joint tracking with a maximum positioning error of 0.25 • . In the power assistance task, the users' muscular activities were reduced up to 85% while exercising with a 5 kg dumbbell. Therefore, the exoskeleton system was regarded as being useful for the target tasks, indicating that it has a potential to promote robot-aided therapy protocols.
In REF a wearable upper body exoskeleton system incorporating a model-based compensation control framework to assist robot-aided shoulder-elbow rehabilitation and power assistance functions is presented.
Proof of Concept for Robot-Aided Upper Limb Rehabilitation Using Disturbance Observers
IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems
IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems
Computer Science Engineering