Rehabilitation Robot for Upper Limbs

Abstract

In an aging society, injuries and diseases are the causes of the dysfunction of motor structures. Recovering the required efficiency of the motor structures, in addition to immediate medical help, usually requires a tedious and long-term rehabilitation process. In the classic approach, rehabilitation is conducted and carried out by a rehabilitator, whose work consists in selecting appropriate types of exercises to limit dysfunction and then physical work, consisting in performing the appropriate exercises with a rehabilitated limb. This paper presents the process of creating a rehabilitation robot at the Institute of Technology and Medical Equipment in Zabrze, which, in the future, can relieve the physiotherapist from performing physical work, while providing a diagnostic tool, thanks to data obtained from robot sensors. An objective and rapid estimation of the patient's limb abilities can be valuable information that can be used to assess the progress of rehabilitation. Information about the progress of rehabilitation along with an attractive training scenario, in the form of 3D games, can be an important factor motivating the patient to long-term and laborious rehabilitation exercises.