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This thesis proposes a method for the design of a real-time neuro-fuzzy trajectory generator for the robotic rehabilitation of patients with upper limb dysfunction due to neurological diseases. The system utilizes a fuzzy-logic schema to introduce compliance into the human-robot interaction, and to allow the emulation of a wide variety of therapy techniques. This approach also allows for the fine-tuning of system dynamics using linguistic variables. The rule base for the system is trained using a fuzzy clustering algorithm and applied to experimental data gathered during traditional therapy sessions. The compliance rule base is combined with a hybrid neuro-fuzzy compensator to automatically tune the dynamics of the system. The trajectory generator is packaged as a platform-independent solution to facilitate the rehabilitation of patients using multiple manipulator configurations.

This thesis proposes a method for the design of a real-time neuro-fuzzy trajectory generator for the robotic rehabilitation of patients with upper limb dysfunction due to neurological diseases. The system utilizes a fuzzy-logic schema to introduce compliance into the human-robot interaction, and to allow the emulation of a wide variety of therapy techniques. This approach also allows for the fine-tuning of system dynamics using linguistic variables. The rule base for the system is trained using a fuzzy clustering algorithm and applied to experimental data gathered during traditional therapy sessions. The compliance rule base is combined with a hybrid neuro-fuzzy compensator to automatically tune the dynamics of the system. The trajectory generator is packaged as a platform-independent solution to facilitate the rehabilitation of patients using multiple manipulator configurations.

As doenças cerebrovasculares, incluindo o acidente vascular encefálico (AVE), são a segunda causa de morte no mundo, e o principal causador das incapacidades na população adulta. Devido à reorganização cortical, quanto mais precoce a reabilitação é realizada, melhores são os resultados. Desta forma, novos tratamentos e soluções tecnológicas foram desenvolvidos para enfrentar os desafios da reabilitação pós AVE, por exemplo, aumento da intensidade e duração da terapia incluindo manipulação externa, treinamento do movimento bilateral, e reabilitação robótica. Os dispositivos robóticos possibilitam a realização de tarefas específicas repetidas vezes, de forma controlada e confiável, fator determinante para a facilitação da reorganização cortical, com aumento da habilidade motora e melhora do desempenho das atividades funcionais. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi verificar a adequação e usabilidade da Plataforma Robótica de Reabilitação de Tornozelo - PRRT em indivíduos que precisam de reabilitação de tornozelo decorrente de sequela de AVE, a fim de realizar eventuais ajustes antes que o equipamento seja incorporado na prática clínica. A metodologia consistiu em verificar a adequação ergonômica e técnica do equipamento, e avaliar a satisfação do usuário após o seu uso por meio de questionário. O aparelho foi avaliado tanto em pacientes com déficit motor de hemiparesia, como em indivíduos sem deficiências. Os resultados experimentais mostram que o equipamento é adequado como um recurso auxiliar na avaliação da amplitude de movimento articular do tornozelo e da força muscular, beneficiando os terapeutas na avaliação dos ganhos reais obtidos com as terapias. A partir das respostas ao questionário, verifica-se que os indivíduos sentiram-se satisfeitos com o recurso. Portanto, conclui-se que a PRRT é um recurso auxiliar promissor no tratamento do tornozelo de indivíduos que sofreram lesão neurológica, podendo trazer benefícios em relação à amplitude de movimento e ganho de força, além de proporcionar uma terapia prazerosa e estimulante aos pacientes. / Cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, are the second leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of disability in the adult population. Due to cortical reorganization, the earlier rehabilitation is performed, the better the results. In this way, new treatments and technological solutions were developed to meet the challenges of rehabilitation after stroke, for example, increase of intensity and duration of therapy including external manipulation, bilateral movement training, and rehabilitation robotics. Robotic devices allow performing specific tasks repeatedly in a controlled and reliable way, a key factor for cortical reorganization, with increase of motor skills and improvement of functional activities performance. The main objective of this work was to verify the adequacy and usability of the Robotic Platform for Ankle Rehabilitation in post-stroke patients who need ankle rehabilitation, in order to make any necessary adjustments before the equipment be incorporated into clinical practice. The methodology consisted in verifying ergonomic and technical adequacy, and evaluates user satisfaction after use through a questionnaire. The device was evaluated in patients with motor deficit of hemiparesis, as well as in individuals without disabilities. Experimental results show the proposed equipment is suitable as an auxiliary resource in evaluating the range of motion and muscle strength of the ankle, assisting therapists in the evaluation of real gains obtained with the therapies. From the questionnaire responses, the individuals said they were satisfied with the resource. Therefore, it is concluded that the PRRT is a promising auxiliary resource in the treatment of individuals who have suffered neurological damage, bringing benefits with relation to range of motion and muscle strength, as well as providing pleasurable and stimulating therapy to patients.

As doenças cerebrovasculares, incluindo o acidente vascular encefálico (AVE), são a segunda causa de morte no mundo, e o principal causador das incapacidades na população adulta. Devido à reorganização cortical, quanto mais precoce a reabilitação é realizada, melhores são os resultados. Desta forma, novos tratamentos e soluções tecnológicas foram desenvolvidos para enfrentar os desafios da reabilitação pós AVE, por exemplo, aumento da intensidade e duração da terapia incluindo manipulação externa, treinamento do movimento bilateral, e reabilitação robótica. Os dispositivos robóticos possibilitam a realização de tarefas específicas repetidas vezes, de forma controlada e confiável, fator determinante para a facilitação da reorganização cortical, com aumento da habilidade motora e melhora do desempenho das atividades funcionais. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi verificar a adequação e usabilidade da Plataforma Robótica de Reabilitação de Tornozelo - PRRT em indivíduos que precisam de reabilitação de tornozelo decorrente de sequela de AVE, a fim de realizar eventuais ajustes antes que o equipamento seja incorporado na prática clínica. A metodologia consistiu em verificar a adequação ergonômica e técnica do equipamento, e avaliar a satisfação do usuário após o seu uso por meio de questionário. O aparelho foi avaliado tanto em pacientes com déficit motor de hemiparesia, como em indivíduos sem deficiências. Os resultados experimentais mostram que o equipamento é adequado como um recurso auxiliar na avaliação da amplitude de movimento articular do tornozelo e da força muscular, beneficiando os terapeutas na avaliação dos ganhos reais obtidos com as terapias. A partir das respostas ao questionário, verifica-se que os indivíduos sentiram-se satisfeitos com o recurso. Portanto, conclui-se que a PRRT é um recurso auxiliar promissor no tratamento do tornozelo de indivíduos que sofreram lesão neurológica, podendo trazer benefícios em relação à amplitude de movimento e ganho de força, além de proporcionar uma terapia prazerosa e estimulante aos pacientes. / Cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, are the second leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of disability in the adult population. Due to cortical reorganization, the earlier rehabilitation is performed, the better the results. In this way, new treatments and technological solutions were developed to meet the challenges of rehabilitation after stroke, for example, increase of intensity and duration of therapy including external manipulation, bilateral movement training, and rehabilitation robotics. Robotic devices allow performing specific tasks repeatedly in a controlled and reliable way, a key factor for cortical reorganization, with increase of motor skills and improvement of functional activities performance. The main objective of this work was to verify the adequacy and usability of the Robotic Platform for Ankle Rehabilitation in post-stroke patients who need ankle rehabilitation, in order to make any necessary adjustments before the equipment be incorporated into clinical practice. The methodology consisted in verifying ergonomic and technical adequacy, and evaluates user satisfaction after use through a questionnaire. The device was evaluated in patients with motor deficit of hemiparesis, as well as in individuals without disabilities. Experimental results show the proposed equipment is suitable as an auxiliary resource in evaluating the range of motion and muscle strength of the ankle, assisting therapists in the evaluation of real gains obtained with the therapies. From the questionnaire responses, the individuals said they were satisfied with the resource. Therefore, it is concluded that the PRRT is a promising auxiliary resource in the treatment of individuals who have suffered neurological damage, bringing benefits with relation to range of motion and muscle strength, as well as providing pleasurable and stimulating therapy to patients.

There have been substantial improvements in the area of rehabilitation robotics in the recent past. However, these advances are inaccessible to a large number of people with disabilities who are in most need of such assistance. This group includes people who are in a severely paralyzed state, that they are completely "locked-in" in their own bodies. Such persons usually retain full cognitive abilities, but have no voluntary muscle control. For these persons, a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is often the only way to communicate with the outside world and/or control an assistive device. One major drawback to BCI devices is their low information transfer rate, which can take as long as 30 seconds to select a single command. This can result in mental fatigue to the user, specially if it necessary to make multiple selections over the BCI to complete a single task. Therefore, P300 based BCI control is not efficient for controlling a assistive robotic device such as a robotic arm. To address this shortcoming, a novel vision based Brain Robot Interface (BRI) is presented in this thesis. This visual user interface allows for selecting an object from an unstructured environment and then performing an action on the selected object using a robotic arm mounted to a power wheelchair. As issuing commands through BCI is slow, this system was designed to allow a user to perform a complete task via a BCI using an autonomous robotic system while issuing as few commands as possible. Furthermore, the new visual interface allows the user to perform the task without losing concentration on the stimuli or the task. In our interface, a scene image is captured by a camera mounted on the wheelchair, from which, a dynamically sized non-uniform stimulus grid is created using edge information. Dynamically sized grids improve object selection efficiency. Oddball paradigm and P300 Event Related Potentials (ERP) are used to select stimuli, where the stimuli being each cell in the grid. Once selected, object segmentation and matching is used to identify the object. Then the user, using BRI, chooses an action to be performed on the object by the wheelchair mounted robotic arm (WMRA). Tests on 8 healthy human subjects validated the functionality of the system. An average accuracy of 85.56% was achieved for stimuli selection over all subjects. With the proposed system, it took the users an average of 5 commands to perform a task on an object. The system will eventually be useful for completely paralyzed or locked-in patients for performing activities of daily living (ADL) tasks.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 163 pages. / Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Robotics in rehabilitation provides considerable opportunities to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Computerized and Virtual Environment (VE) training systems for persons with disabilities, many of which utilize the haptic feedback, have gained increasing acceptance in the recent years. Our methodology here is based on creating virtual environments connected to a haptic interface as an input device. This robotic setup introduces the advantages of the haptic rendering features in the environment and also provides tactile feedback to the patients. This thesis aims to demonstrate the efficacy of assistance function algorithms in rehabilitation robotics in virtual environments. Assist functions are used to map limited human input to motions required to perform complex tasks. The purpose is to train individuals in task-oriented applications to insure that they can be incorporated into the workplace. / ABSTRACT: Further, Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based motion recognition and skill learning are used for improving the skill levels of the users. For the Hidden Markov Model based motion recognition, the user's motion intention is combined with environment information to apply an appropriate assistance function. We used this algorithm to perform a commonly used vocational therapy test referred to as the box and the blocks test. The Hidden Markov Model based skill approach can be used for learning human skill and transferring the skill to persons with disabilities. A relatively complex task of moving along a labyrinth is chosen as the task to be modeled by HMM. This kind of training allows a person with disability to learn the skill and improve it through practice. Its application to motion therapy system using a haptic interface helps in improving their motion control capabilities, tremor reduction and upper limb coordination. / ABSTRACT: The results obtained from all the tests demonstrated that various forms of assistance provided reduced the execution times and increased the motion performance in chosen tasks. Two persons with disabilities volunteered to perform the above tasks and both of the disabled subjects expressed an interest and satisfaction with the philosophy behind these concepts. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

abstract: Myoelectric control is lled with potential to signicantly change human-robot interaction. Humans desire compliant robots to safely interact in dynamic environments associated with daily activities. As surface electromyography non-invasively measures limb motion intent and correlates with joint stiness during co-contractions, it has been identied as a candidate for naturally controlling such robots. However, state-of-the-art myoelectric interfaces have struggled to achieve both enhanced functionality and long-term reliability. As demands in myoelectric interfaces trend toward simultaneous and proportional control of compliant robots, robust processing of multi-muscle coordinations, or synergies, plays a larger role in the success of the control scheme. This dissertation presents a framework enhancing the utility of myoelectric interfaces by exploiting motor skill learning and exible muscle synergies for reliable long-term simultaneous and proportional control of multifunctional compliant robots. The interface is learned as a new motor skill specic to the controller, providing long-term performance enhancements without requiring any retraining or recalibration of the system. Moreover, the framework oers control of both motion and stiness simultaneously for intuitive and compliant human-robot interaction. The framework is validated through a series of experiments characterizing motor learning properties and demonstrating control capabilities not seen previously in the literature. The results validate the approach as a viable option to remove the trade-o between functionality and reliability that have hindered state-of-the-art myoelectric interfaces. Thus, this research contributes to the expansion and enhancement of myoelectric controlled applications beyond commonly perceived anthropomorphic and \intuitive control" constraints and into more advanced robotic systems designed for everyday tasks. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Mechanical Engineering 2015

The repetitive and sometimes mundane nature of conventional rehabilitation therapy provides an ideal opportunity for development of interactive and challenging therapeutic games that have the potential to engage and motivate the players. Different game design techniques can be used to design rehabilitation games that work alongside robotics to provide an augmentative therapy to stroke patients in order to increase their compliance and motivation towards therapy. The strategy we followed to develop such a system was to (i) identify the key design parameters that can influence compliance, prolonged activity, active participation and patient motivation, (ii) use these parameters to design rehabilitation games for robot-mediated stroke-rehabilitation, (iii) investigate the effects of these parameters on motivation and performance of patients undergoing home-based rehabilitation therapy. Three main studies were conducted with healthy subjects and stroke subjects. The first study identified the effects of the design parameters on healthy players' motivation. Using the results from this study, we incorporated the parameters into rehabilitation games, following player-centric iterative design process, which were formatively evaluated during the second study with healthy subjects, stroke patients, and health-care professionals. The final study investigated the research outcomes from use of these games in three patient's homes during a 6 weeks clinical evaluation. In summary, the research undertaken during this PhD successfully identified the design techniques influencing patient motivation and adherence as well as highlighted further important elements that contribute to maintaining therapeutic interaction between patients and the therapy medium, mainly the technological usability and reliability of the system.

A Wheelchair-Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA) was designed to aid people with limited or no upper-limb usage to accomplish activities of daily living (ADLs). The primary objective of this research was to enhance the performance of the WMRA by improving the communication protocols and functions between the hardware and software used for its control. Previously, the control algorithm of the robotic arm was tested in simulation and in the physical arm. These implementations required a combination of Matlab and C++ language and introduced some software instability under Windows operating system. To improve the performance of the WMRA, the programs for hardware control were separated from the ones intended for simulation. The control algorithm of the arm was rewritten using C++ language to facilitate the communication with the controller boards and to make the system more stable and reliable. As a result, the communication delays were decreased since the interfaces between different programs is no longer needed. Preliminary tests were performed to demonstrate the stability and reliability of the new control algorithm. The overall response of the control implementation was enhanced and the algorithm routines and optimization procedures achieved the same goals with more efficiency. Accuracy and repeatability tests were performed, and data was collected and analyzed.