Ankle sprains are one of the most common type of sports injury. They occur most frequently when the foot is in a supine or inverted position. Recovery from an ankle sprain can take from one and up to 26 weeks depending on the severity of the injury. During that period the individual will be unable to participate in any meaningful sports activity and as such it is important to be able to prevent the occurrence of such injuries. Prevention of ankle sprain injuries would require a better understanding of the risk factors of this injury. Several studies attempted to assess such risk actors by inducing foot inversion or supination however the platforms used in these studies were shown to be limited. Hence the main aim of this project is to develop a system that can be used to assess the effect of sudden foot and ankle inversion/supination on the musculoskeletal system of dynamic subjects (e.g. walking, running, jumping, etc.). For this purpose a three degrees of freedom (DOF) rotating platform has been designed, manufactured and installed in the Institute of Motion Analysis and Research (IMAR) Sports Laboratory. The platform rotates around 3 different axes allowing inversion or supination of the foot and ankle of dynamic subjects. The degree of rotation around each axis can easily be set by the researcher/operator. A strain gauge was used to detect foot strike to the platform. As a safety measure laser emitter/receivers check that the entire foot is on the footplate before the platform rotates. Optical encoders provide essential feedback of rotation angles, speed and acceleration. The necessary software and user interface for controlling the platform were also written and tested. The platform was synchronised with a bilateral four-channel EMG (electromyography) system and a 12 camera Vicon® MX-13 system thus allowing measurement of muscle activity and kinematic data during the supination of the foot. A set of software modules were written to allow automated management and processing of the data generated by the new system. The new system was then implemented in a study to validate it and to assess the role of shoes in ankle sprains. In this study, subjects would walk in three different foot conditions: barefoot, and with two different types of sports shoes, along the walkway of the Sports Laboratory where the platform was fitted. When a subject steps on the embedded platform, it rotates causing the subject's foot to supinate. At the same time, the EMG data from the peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, and lateral gastrocnemius muscles are recorded, along with the kinematics of the subject's whole body. The obtained results demonstrated the validity of the newly developed system. Data from the validation study also revealed increased muscle activity following induced foot supination in shod conditions compared to barefoot. Muscle activity of the rotating platform step was found to be significantly higher than the steps before and after. The platform rotation was also found to have an observable effect on body kinematics. The newly developed system is hoped to help provide a better understanding of the risk factors of ankle sprain injury and how to prevent this injury. The system can be used to help improve the design of current footwear and identify which footwear provides better protection against ankle sprain injury. The system can also be used to assess the effectiveness of different ankle injury rehabilitation schemes and different training programs that aim to reduce ankle sprain injuries. The new system can be utilised to identify individuals who are at risk of sustaining an ankle sprain injury. The system can also be utilised in studies outside the scope of ankle sprain injuries.

Cette thèse porte sur l’adaptation de l’immersion lors de la simulation de conduite en fauteuil roulant. Il s’agit d’étudier le réalisme des retours sensoriels impliqués dans un environnement virtuel afin de pouvoir adapter l’immersion en fonction des préférences de l’utilisateur et de la tâche à accomplir. Ces travaux ont été effectués dans le cadre du projet AccesSim soutenu par la région Ile–de-France. L'objectif du projet est de développer un simulateur dynamique pour évaluer l'accessibilité d'environnement urbain et également, de procéder à l'entraînement à l’usage de fauteuils roulants.Dans le cadre de la conduite en fauteuil roulant, il est nécessaire que le comportement de conduite soit cohérent entre une situation réelle et une situation simulée. Pour cela, il faut que l’environnement virtuel et les retours sensoriels soient suffisamment immersifs et réalistes. Notre proposition est de spécifier une configuration immersive en adaptant les retours haptiques et visuels du simulateur. Nous avons validé cette hypothèse à l’aide du simulateur développé dans le cadre du projet AccesSim.Dans la première partie de la thèse, la contribution porte sur la conception du simulateur AccesSim. Cette conception porte sur l’environnement logiciel en charge des fonctionnalités innovantes : aide au diagnostic d’accessibilité et navigation 3D en fauteuil roulant à l’aide d’un modèle dynamique de fauteuil roulant. Pour permettre une navigation en fauteuil roulant, le simulateur est couplé à une plateforme robotique intégrant des retours haptiques et vestibulaires.La seconde partie de la thèse porte sur l’analyse du comportement de conduite des utilisateurs. Il s’agit de comparer la conduite en situation réelle et en situation virtuelle en fonction de la configuration du simulateur. Cette analyse montre la sensibilité des résultats vis-à-vis des profils des usagers et de l’immersion.Enfin, nous avons étudié les différents retours sensoriels participant à la qualité de l’immersion. Le premier retour concerne le sens vestibulaire. Il est dépendant des retours haptiques du simulateur robotique. Ce retour sensoriel supplémentaire doit permettre d’améliorer les performances de conduite de l’utilisateur. Nous avons évalué la perception de ce retour sur la base d’une tâche de descente d’une marche à l’aide d’un fauteuil roulant. Dans la thèse, nous avons montré les performances de notre solution ainsi que le besoin d’adapter ce retour haptique pour chaque utilisateur.Le second retour sensoriel étudié concerne les retours visuels. Nous avons proposé une configuration d’immersion visuelle modulable. Elle permet une immersion plus ou moins égocentrée. En analysant les trajectoires d’utilisateurs effectuées avec les différentes configurations d’immersion, nous pouvons évaluer la configuration la plus efficace en fonction de l’environnement et des préférences de chaque utilisateur.Ces deux études sur les retours sensoriels ont été basées sur des évaluations avec deux groupes d’utilisateurs : un groupe d’expert (thérapeutes et ergonomes) et un groupe de personnes en situation de handicap. / This thesis focuses on the adaptation of the immersion in a driving wheelchair simulation. This is the study of sensory feedback realism involved in a virtual environment in order to adapt the immersion according to user preferences and the task to perform. These works were performed within the AccesSim project supported by the Ile de France region. The project objective is to develop a dynamic simulator to evaluate the accessibility and also urban environment, to conduct training in the use of wheelchairs.In the context of wheelchair driving, it is necessary that the driving behavior is consistent between a real situation and a simulated situation. To do this, we need the virtual environment and the sensory feedback to be sufficiently realistic and immersive. Our proposal is to specify an immersive configuration adapting haptic and visual feedback from the simulator. We validated this hypothesis using the simulator developed within the AccesSim project.In the first part of the thesis, the contribution focuses on the design of the AccesSim simulator. This design focuses on the software environment responsible for the innovative features: assistance for accessibility diagnosis and 3D navigation with a wheelchair using a dynamic model. To enable navigation in a wheelchair, the simulator is coupled to a robotic platform integrating haptic and vestibular feedback.The second part of the thesis focuses on the analysis of driving behavior of users. It comes to comparing the driving in real and virtual situation depending on the configuration of the simulator. This analysis shows the sensitivity of results towards profiles of users and immersion.Finally, we studied the different sensory feedback involved in the quality of immersion. The first feedback concerns the vestibular sense. It depends on haptic feedback simulator. This additional sensory feedback should improve driving performance of the user. We evaluated the perception on the basis of a task consisting in going down a step using a wheelchair. In the thesis we have shown the performance of our solution and the need to adapt the haptic feedback for each user.The second sensory feedback investigated concerns visual feedback. We proposed a modular configuration of visual immersion. It allows immersion more or less egocentric. By analyzing the trajectories of users performed with the different configurations of immersion, we can evaluate the most efficient configuration depending on the environment and preferences of each user.These two studies on sensory feedback were based on evaluations with two groups of users: an expert group (therapists and ergonomists) and a group of people with disabilities.

Mobile robotics has become a rapidly developing field of interdisciplinary research within robotics. This promising field has attracted the attention of academicy, industry, several government agencies. Currently from security to personal service mobile robots are being used in a variety of tasks. The use of such robots is expected to only increase in the near future. In this study, it is aimed to design and manufacture a versatile robot base. This base is aimed to be the main driving unit for various applications performed both indoors and outdoors ranging from personal service and assistance to military applications. The study does not attempt to individually address any specific application, indeed it is aimed to shape up a robotic module that can be used in a wide range of application on different terrain with proper modification. The robot base is specifically designed for mixed terrain applications, yet this study attempts to provide some guidelines to help robot designers. The manufactured robot base is tested with tracks, wheels, and with both tracks and wheels, results are provided as guidelines to robot designers. Last but no the least, this study aims to obtain the know-how of building functional and flexible robots in Turkey by facilitating local resources as much as possible.

This work deals with the proposal of the universal robotic platform. The paper descibes a robotic competition for which is posible to use this platform. There is a list of basic sensors that are suitable for small robot competition. Of course there is a short description for each sensor. In the chapter of the draft prototype are described types of chasis. There is an explanation of use of the differential gear for this platform. The text also describes the development of the prototypes platfom and used data bus for comunication between the periferies and the MCU.

Robotics is an interdisciplinary subject and combines mechanical, computer and electrical engineering components together to solve different kinds of problems. In order to build robotic systems, these disciplines should be integrated. Therefore, mobile robots can be used as a tool in education for teaching engineering concepts. They can be employed to be used in undergraduate, graduate and doctorate research. Hands on experience on a mobile robot increase motivation of the students on the topic and give them precious practical knowledge. It also delivers students new skills like teamwork, problem solving, creativity, by executing robotic exercises. To be able to fulfill these outcomes, universities and research centers need mobile robot platforms that are modular, easy to build, cheap and flexible. However it should be also powerful and capable of being used in different research studies and hence be customizable depending on the requirements of these topics. This thesis aims at building an indoor mobile robot that can be used as a platform for developing algorithms involving various sensors incorporated onto a mobile platform. More precisely, it can be used as a base for indoor navigation and localization algorithms, as well as it can be used as platform for developing algorithms for larger autonomous mobile robots. The thesis work involves the design and manufacturing of a mobile robot platform that can potentially facilitate mobile robotics research that involves use of various hardware to develop and test different perception and navigation algorithms.

Les troubles d’équilibres représentent un problème de santé publique car ils touchent à la mobilité et une partie à l’autonomie. Dans la population gériatrique, les troubles de l’équilibre sont souvent fréquents, de causes multiples et intriquées. Les personnes ayant des atteintes neurologiques, orthopédiques, ou des déficits vestibulaires, peuvent présenter des troubles sensori-moteurs, biomécaniques, ou des problèmes d’intégration sensorielle qui affectent aussi l’équilibre, la posture et donc la mobilité. La question d’identification des différentes déficiences du système d’équilibre est l’objectif de notre travail. Aujourd’hui, la majorité des tests d’évaluation d’équilibre se font en statique et sont très controversés du fait de leur mauvaise répétabilité. Il existe quelques tests d’évaluation de l’équilibre en dynamique, mais ils sont très dépendants de l’outil utilisé. L’évaluation du système d’équilibre devient ainsi de plus en plus compliquée dans le cas dynamique, puisqu’il existe plusieurs plateformes avec différents mouvements. Un patient ne doit pas passer d’une plateforme à une autre pour faire les différents mouvements. Pour une analyse de la stabilité posturale complète, il faut trouver donc une nouvelle solution qui remplace tous les plateformes existantes en une seule plateforme. Cette plateforme originale est l’IsiMove l’outil conçue, développé et utilisé dans cette thèse, pour mesurer la stabilité des sujets ayant des troubles d’équilibre. L’IsiMove est une nouvelle plateforme de perturbation posturale dynamique, conçue par la société AssistMov en collaboration avec l’Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique « ISIR » et l’hôpital Rothschild. Cette plateforme répond au besoin de l’analyse de l’équilibre grâce à ses quatre degrés de libertés. La présence des capteurs de forces sur la plateforme permet la mesure de la posture et l’effort d’interaction pied/sol aux cours des réactions de perturbations, ce qui permet l’analyse du comportement pathologique pour une large classe de déficiences motrices, neurologiques ou vestibulaires.Un protocole d’évaluation d’équilibre a été élaboré sous la direction du Pr.Thoumie, suite à une série d’expériences et de tests. Ce protocole est presque complet, il se divise en deux parties : statiques (protocole classique) et dynamiques. La partie dynamique est unique, dans les 3 plans de l’espace, de mouvement simple et de différentes fréquences. Des tests sur des sujets ayant des atteintes neurologiques (myopathie et neuropathie) ou d’accidents vasculaires cérébraux (hémiplégiques) ont été réalisés à l’hôpital Rothschild avec l’aide d’un kinésithérapeute. La majorité des sujets ayant des atteintes neurologiques ont été incapables de réaliser le protocole d’une façon complète, contrairement aux sujets hémiplégiques. Ce qui nous a imposé à proposer deux méthodes d’évaluation de l’équilibre : la première est basée sur une analyse statistique discriminante et la deuxième est basée sur une représentation graphique. / Balance disorders represent a public health problem because they affect mobility and some autonomy. In the geriatric population, balance disorders are often frequent, have multiple causes and intricate. People with neurological, orthopedic or vestibular deficits may have sensorimotor disorder, biomechanical trouble or sensory integration problems that also affect balance, posture and thus mobility.The identification of the different impairments of balance system issue is the goal of our work. Today, the majority of the evaluation tests of balance are in “static” and they are highly controversial because of their poor repeatability. There are some tests for balance evaluation in “dynamic” conditions, but they are very dependent on the used tool. Balance evaluation becomes more complicated in the dynamic case, since there are several platforms with different movements. A patient should not move from one platform to another to make different movements and evaluations. For a complete analysis of postural stability, we must find a new solution that replaces all existing platforms into a single platform. This original platform is “IsiMove” the tool designed, developed and used in this thesis to measure the stability of subjects with balance disorders.IsiMove is a new dynamic posturography platform, designed by ASSISTMOV SAS company in collaboration with the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics "ISIR" and the Rothschild Hospital. This platform addresses the need for balance analysis with its four degrees of freedom. The dual force plate on the platform allows the measurement of the posture and the force interaction of the foot / floor during the reactions, which then allows the analysis of the pathological behavior for a broad class of physical disabilities, neurological or vestibular.A new balance evaluation protocol was elaborated under the direction of Pr.Thoumie, following a series of experiments and tests. This protocol is almost complete; it is divided into two parts: static (standard protocol) and dynamic. The dynamic part is unique, in all 3 planes of space, simple movement and different frequencies. Tests on subjects with neurological disorders (myopathy and neuropathy) or stroke (hemiplegia) were made in the Rothschild hospital with the help of a physiotherapist. The majority of subjects with neurological disorders were unable to perform all exercises protocol, unlike patients with stroke. This has force us to propose two balance assessment methods: the first is based on discriminant statistical analysis and the second is based on graphical representation.

This thesis is about the design of the telescopic platform. which should be fasten on robot called Breach. Purpose of this platform is to carry another equipment like sensors, cameras or manipulator. The platform has to provide chiefly the high demands on load capacity. Another part of the thesis is design of mechanism placed on this telescopic platform, or just on the robot Breach. This mechanism has to load up small subject on the top part of the platform and then unload it on chosen place. Only thing defined for this subjekt is maximal weight of 2 kilograms, but other parameters aren´t specified. Construction is therefore focused on maximal versatility of this mechanism.

The aim of this master's thesis was to create a design for a prototype of a mobile robotic platform and its physical fabrication. Another goal of this master's thesis was to develop a control algorithm and its implementation into a prototype. In addition, the thesis was extended by an autonomous motion mode, an algorithm for robot path planning, and the design of the Human Machine Interface (HMI). The introduction contains a description of some already created mobile robotic platforms, a presentation of the company B&R and the theory needed to understand omnidirectional mobility. The next chapters describe the design and construction of a prototype with a selection of electronic components and their wiring, implementation of an algorithm for robot path planning, implementation of a control algorithm and design, together with the implementation of the user environment. At the end of this master's thesis, the possibilities of extending the project to future years are described.